Wow, I can’t believe it’s already November! Camp ended about three months ago, and it is so wild to think about what has changed in this time! I’m already getting close to the end of my first semester in college, and camp feels like a whole other life. I feel like I say this with every post in this series, but I am so grateful that I chose to write about my experiences, because it has been very sweet to reflect on what all God did at camp, and it has been a great source of encouragement throughout this season of life.
As you’ve probably noticed, the most important part of camp for me was all of the different conversations that I was able to have with my campers. Getting to hear from these campers gives me a glimpse of their perspective in life, and it allows me to see a different point of view in all aspects of life. In addition, when a girl will specifically open up about their own life, I get to learn more of their story and get the opportunity to speak words of life and love to them.
Each week, I constantly found myself stunned by what these girls had to say. It didn’t matter whether they were in elementary, middle, or high school, because they always had such beautiful and unique perspectives, and really taught me a lot! This proves what the Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:12, where Paul says “let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” We all have so much to learn from each other, and even though it is true that we should look to those that are older than us and have already walked many different parts of life, that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn and walk alongside those that are younger than us. Out of all of these beautiful interactions, two specific moments really stand out.
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One week, I had a girl that had a bit of a hard time fitting in. I love to see how girls that have never met bond so closely during a week at camp, but it would be impossible to expect every single person to become best friends. So, that week, I remember giving this one girl a bit more attention, and making sure that she never felt abandoned or unloved. I have been in her shoes before, and when you realize that a person is not defined by their “likeability”, and simply another child of God that desires love and belonging, it is easy to throw away the labels and simply meet the needs around you.
At this particular moment, we were at the climbing wall, and I was just watching some of my campers to make sure that nobody would slip on the muddy ground, as it had just rained pretty hard earlier that day. I began asking questions about her life, because I have learned that simply asking open-ended questions allows them to share at their own comfort level.
This girl began telling me all about her relationship with her mom. From the details that she gave, it sounded like she was a single mother, and was working really hard to provide for her and her children. She was sharing with me how she doesn’t feel too seen by her mom, and doesn’t get to do things with her often. I could tell that her mom was working multiple jobs to provide, and even though that makes sense, and is a great act of love, I understand why my camper wasn’t feeling very loved. When we are younger, our thoughts aren’t about how to pay for groceries, how much you need to make to pay the bills, or how to save money throughout the week by not having extra expenses. All we care about is getting to spend time with and laugh with our parents, who we look up to.
I began asking more questions, to learn about this wonderful girl and hear more about her life story. The more she talked, the more I realized how much she respected her mom. Even though she really wanted to spend more time with her mom, she understood the sacrifices that her mom has to make to provide for her, and really appreciated her hard work and the intentional things that her mom has done for her. For example, this camper had some sensory struggles, and that meant that a lot of clothes were really uncomfortable for her. However, she told me that her mom worked really hard with her to find lots of clothes that were comfortable, and made sure that she had plenty of clothing that wouldn’t provide sensory issues.
Personally, it was really amazing to see her perspective, and see how she both respected her mom, but also desired to have a close relationship with her. We even got to talk about showing gratitude for others, and she got to talk about how she wants to write her mom a card to thank her for all that she’s done.
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This next story came from one of my younger campers, and every time I think about it, I am still as shocked as I was when it first happened.
This particular week, I had a few girls that didn’t get along too well. Sometimes, you can be in a situation where you’re with people that are different from you, and it’s okay to not get along with everybody.
After one specific incident, I had both of these girls sit down to talk. They both seemed to have different stories, so I had them both share their sides of the story so I could get the full picture, and so that they could see the other person’s point of view. The one girl had thought that the other was pushing her, so she pushed back. It ended up that the first push was an accident, so it turned into a conflict. After some conversation, this girl looks over at the other camper and says, “You have been very unkind to me. I forgive you, but I cannot continue this friendship.”
Is your jaw on the floor? Mine was. This girl, who was about eleven years old, clearly set a boundary with a friend while being calm and forgiving. Personally, I have always struggled with setting boundaries in relationships, so to see this, especially from someone of her age, was stunning. I realized at that moment that I had so much to learn from my campers.
So, the two girls continued their conversation, which came with lots of clarity and understanding for all three of us, and they found a way to still be friendly for the rest of the week while still having healthy boundaries.
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I cannot believe how lucky I was this summer to have so many amazing campers. I know that my job as a counselor was to teach these girls and show them the love of God, but they did that right back to me. It taught me that we always have things to learn from people, and that God gives people different strengths and weaknesses so that we can help each other.
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