II Corinthians 12:9-10

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities... for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
II Corinthians 12:9-10

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Post-Camp Reflections

Camp. There's nothing quite like it. And it's going to be listed as yet another life-changing experience.

It was stretching. We had one week of staff training, and then we hit the ground running for 10 more weeks with campers. There were so many fun and sometimes strenuous activities. We played several intense games a day (that usually involved running, water, big balls, etc.), we went tubing (a LOT!), swimming at the lake and waterfalls, hiking, climbing tons of stairs to each meal, paintball, zip lines, boating, sand volleyball, obstacle courses, a LOTS of jumping and cheering!

It was physically and emotionally draining at times. Each week approximately 8-9 campers were under my leadership-- campers from very different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. But it was awesome to see all my campers come together and become close friends, many of which continued their friendships after leaving camp.

During my last week of camp, I finally had a camper who had scoliosis! (I knew it was coming!) She was still in elementary school, but had a small scar on her neck where she had surgery, due to having neck problems which caused her scoliosis.

But the most rewarding part of camp was seeing kids come with so much hate toward people in their lives, bitterness, and a general bad attitude about life, and by the end of the week they realized their problem. Many of them needed Christ. They knew about God, but they didn't have a relationship with Him. And they certainly didn't have the hope of being in heaven with Him when they die. By the end of the week, the change in my campers' lives made me spending 11 weeks of my summer out of my comfort zone completely worth it.

And yes. Everyone appreciated my perfect posture. Even at camp.