A Leap of Faith to Camp Life

We’re the Van Natter family: Luc, Ashley, Emma-Jane (9 years old), Kanaan (4.5 years old) and our yellow lab, Remy. We’re so excited to call Camp Crossroads our home now!

Originally from the Niagara Region, both Luc and I (Ashley) grew up in Fort Erie and have known each other since we were quite young. We got married in 2015 and began our careers working at Christian schools, where we shared a passion for faith based education and community. Luc served as a Boys Dorm Director at Niagara Christian Collegiate, where he was known for leadership, deep care for students, and ability to create a positive environment. I worked at Calvary Christian School as both an Educational Assistant and Administrative Assistant and loved the opportunity to support students with care, purpose and patience.

Luc also holds a degree in Psychology and Sociology from Manhattanville College in New York, where he played Division III hockey and even went on to play professionally in the SPHL for a season. Though his path has included athletics, leadership, and adventure, he has always had a strong sense of calling toward youth ministry and faith-based leadership which he now gets to live out daily at Camp Crossroads as Program Director.

The idea of moving to camp life was both exciting and a bit daunting, truly a leap of faith. But we knew in our hearts that Camp Crossroads was somewhere special...

As a family, we’ve always loved the outdoors camping in Algonquin, spending our summers in our seasonal trailer near Lindsay and making memories fishing, kayaking and playing in the lakes and rivers. About four years ago, Luc’s father accepted a role at Camp Crossroads, and that’s when we were first introduced to this special place. We began visiting during different seasons, and with each trip, we found ourselves falling more and more in love with the property and the community.

Over time, we began to sense that God was stirring something in our hearts, opening a door for us that we didn’t think we could really walk through. The idea of moving to camp life was both exciting and a bit daunting, truly a leap of faith. But we knew in our hearts that Camp Crossroads was somewhere special for us to raise our kids, as a family we could serve and be part of something meaningful.

Today, Luc serves as Program Director at camp, and I manage Social Media and Communications. I homeschool our children now, which gives us the freedom to explore God’s beautiful creation here. Whether we’re fishing, paddle boarding, or just sitting on the dock enjoying the views of Black Lake, we feel incredibly blessed to be serving and living in a place that feels like where we know God has called us to be.
We are so thankful for the warm welcome we have already received and look forward to building deeper relationships with the camp community. If you see us around camp, don’t hesitate to say hi – even Remy would be just as excited to greet you too!