WARNING: I am not a good writer, so this blog thing is new to me.
If you would have asked me a year ago I would have never considered leaving my family to go on a mission trip, especially not for a year. I don’t think many people would have told you I would be the first person they expected to go on a mission trip either. Fortunately for me, I became a camp counselor.
Now, I’m sure some people don’t see how this relates to God or me now wanting to go on a mission trip, but you have no idea what God is going at this summer camp I worked at. But, let me back up for a minute and tell you about this camp and how I found out about it.
Camp Canaan is a christian summer camp for 5-13 year old kids. I found out about this camp through one of my best friends and my sorority sister. She was the summer camp director at the time, and she knew I wanted to work there, but I couldn’t apply because I was working another job. Lucky for me, that job only lasted for half the summer and the camp needed to hire another person for the other half of the summer. My friend texted me and told me they were looking to hire someone and I needed to apply. Of course, my application was submitted within the next hour. I went into my interview and I never expected for that job to change my life.
Camp Canaan asks that their counselors spend 15 minutes during the day to discuss God. We have a bible verse of the week and we talk to our group of campers about that bible verse, what that bible verse means, and how it can relate to them. When camp first began we just went through the motions of talking for a couple of minutes about these verses. It felt as if the campers weren’t hearing us, everything we were saying was going in one ear and out the other but around week 5 everything changed. We changed the way we viewed this time, we realized how important it was and we wanted to really see what the children were thinking. We had all the campers put their head down and close their eyes, we then opened the floor. We allowed the campers to come to us with one simple statement: Raise your hand if you want to know more about God. To our surprise we had 18 children raise their hand. We then asked them, “Raise your hand if you want to accept God into your heart.” 12 hands raised into the air. I began to cry, I was so shocked and so proud of these children. I couldn’t contain my excitement for all that God was doing through this camp to reach to these children.
This summer camp also has a bible study the offer for the counselors to come to once a week. This bible study works in amazing ways. The camp director and even the counselors, I’m sure have no idea the impact they have made to me through that bible study and just this camp in general. Everyone that works at this camp are the most supportive, encouraging, and genuine people I have ever met.
I tell you all of this to say, this camp is what has really reconnected me with God. This camp has shown me God in so many ways that they have no idea, and it has really made my relationship with God the strongest it has ever been. This camp has been a lifesaver.
Lastly, I have never said thank you to my friend and sister, Casey. So to her, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t think I would planning to go on this mission trip, or would have found this camp without her. Thank you to the Wimmer’s for opening this camp, and thank you to all the camp professionals for showing me God in all you do, and the camp counselors for all their support, prayers, and friendship.
Love you all,
Molly
