Final thoughts from camp

Here are some final thoughts from my time here at Spring Hill this summer.

I've been here for a little more than two months.  In those two months I've learned so much about myself and grown quite a bit.

Life goes on, even when you just want to push the pause button, and enjoy the same moment for the rest of your life forever. Life isn't always easy, so learning and growing in those hard moments is the only other option.

Living and working at camp is a great way to spend a summer.  If you ever need a summer job where you will learn, grown, work your butt off, and have tons of fun.

The final week is about to begin

The final week here at Spring Hill will begin tomorrow.  What happened to time?  Sometimes I feel like I've only been here for a few weeks.  Other times I feel like I've been here for years.

C'mon baby
I dont mean to rush you
I only wanted to reach out and touch you
I've gotta start to open my heart

I know you think
About jumping ship before it sinks
But were all in this together
Ask a scientist
It's quantum physics
We're all in this together
And on the subway
We feel like strangers
But were all in this together
Yeah I love you and you love her
And she loves him
But were all in this together

Y'know baby
There's never been protection
In all the history of human connection
C'mon darling
It's alright to show me
You don't ever need to be lonely
Once you start to open your heart

I saw you crying
I started crying
Cos were all in this together

And then religion
It's a big decision
But were all in this together

We're all in this together

Ben Lee's song titled "We're all in this together".

I'm at a point where I don't want to leave Spring Hill, but am ready at the same time.  I'd love to be able to have it be summer all year round, and just live and work here, but know that that isn't possible.  It's time to move on with life and get a real job.

There were so many things that we as a staff experienced together, lived through together.  I now have some awesome new friends that I don't want to loose contact with.  Most of all, I've grown a lot in my faith.  Since arriving here at Spring Hill, I've spent so much more time reading my Bible, and praying.  I also have some direction from God about where  he wants me to go in life.

Hopefully when I get back from camp I'll be able to share my experiences here with all of you.

Nearing the end

The summer is nearing it's end.  It's hard to believe that it's been just over two months since I first arrived at Spring Hill to begin working.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for camp to end, but know that finding a full time permanent gig needs to happen in the near future.

It took me under twenty four hours after returning from the family reunion to get back into the swing of things, although I do miss being able to sit still and enjoy the beautiful Chain O Lakes in Wauapca Wisconsin.

It's amazing how quickly time flies by when you're working hard and having fun.  I'm sure I'll look back on this summer with lots of fond memories of time spent with campers and staff.

Another week

Another week is over.  What's happened to time?  I feel like I've been here for years, yet like it's been less than the nearly two months that I've actually been here at camp.  One of the things that I've come to a better understanding of here at Spring Hill is that a single day here at camp is so much like a week because we fit so much into a day.

The girls I've been spending so much time with this past week have been great.  They act so much like sisters so much of the time.  It's been fun to spend so much time with all of them.

Earlier this week the area I am in had something come up that two of the female counselors needed some time to work through.  The third female counselor was on her day off that day.  So, I ended up with twenty teenage girls.  It was great to seem them come together to help me make sure that everyone was with me through lunch and discipleship.  There was a moment that I was a little overwhelmed by the 20 girls, but it didn't last to long.

In the past three weeks, I've discovered that I love leading small groups of teens.  It's always fun having those small group interactions with the girls, hear about where they are in their faith walk, and being able to help them to grow.  This past week several of the girls in the cabin I've been with asked about how to hear God, which is something that not all of the counselors here feel confident  in doing.  Hearing God speak to me was something that took me a long time to get used to doing.  Thankfully I've learned how to do this, and am much better at it than I used to be.

Quite often I hear God through images or single words.  Often times the words are things that will make sense a year or two down the road, and the images are things that make sense in the next six months or so.  This past Tuesday, I had the image of Round Lake pop into my head, and I knew it was God speaking--I didn't know what it was about Round Lake that God wanted me to know, but knew that something was going to come up relating to family, family reunion, or something in Waupaca.  By the end of the week I knew that I was going to be headed to Waupaca for the family reunion on the 29th (exactly one week after the image of Round Lake popped into my head.

If there's one thing that has blown me away it's the way that God works in our lives, and how he sends us to specific places to learn more of his plan for us.

I have a feeling that I'll be asked a lot of questions about the past two summers and this summer at the family reunion.  Any of you Grist's reading this---feel free to ask lots of questions while I'm at the reunion about camp!

Another week done, another to begin

Week 1.6 is over.  For me this meant that the group of twelve girls I had been hanging out with for the past two weeks is gone, and more campers will be arriving tomorrow.

These past two weeks have been so amazing.  I've had a few one on one conversations with campers that made my day and challenged me.  Each of those twelve girls made me smile every time I turned up after having been on my break or having returned to hang out with them after having been in the Copper Country kitchen.

Since this was one of two long weeks, campers left today instead of on Friday, and a new batch of campers arrive tomorrow morning.  Of course that means that we don't get much time off this weekend.  But at least we get these next few hours off to relax and get ourselves pumped up for another week of campers.

Next weekend will be family weekend, which means that I'll actually see my parents for the first time in over a month.  I'm sure that day and a half off next weekend is going to be exactly what I need at this point in the summer.

I can't wait to see what the next two weeks bring!

At camp...

Here are some campisms for you from here at Spring Hill.

--At camp you wear everything until it smells like campfire or you've worn it twice.

--At camp showering for campers is something you encourage.  But it you as a part of the staff don't shower more than once or twice a week, it's not a big deal.

--At camp, swimming in the pool could be considered as a shower.

--Taking half an hour to an hour in the shower at camp is no big deal, especially when you're on break.

--Shaving your legs once every two to three weeks is no big deal.  But having freshly shaved legs feels amazing.

--At camp you might not want to do all  your laundry but just a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts to last you a few days, so you may find yourself washing those four items in the sink.

--Sleep becomes a precious commodity.  Get it when you can.

--You get excited for real food (AKA the home cooked stuff).

--You don't always get along with the people you live and work with.  But they do become some of your best friends who have been with you through some of the funniest and goofiest moments of your life, and also have been there when you've struggled through the hard times.  These are the people who understand and love you for being you.

--At camp, you rarely know what's going on in the "real" world.  Camp is our "real" world, so any drama and all the good and bad that happens at camp is our version of world news.

Yesterday

Yesterday was one of those days...

Yesterday was one of those days when I didn't have all the words that I wish I had.

I had a one on one conversation with a camper, that was rough.  I won't go into it so that she can keep her privacy in the difficult situation.

Yesterday was one of those days when I made a mistake that made me laugh.

I also accidentally mistook corn break for cupcakes and frosted a pan of them.  They looked like cupcakes.  Maybe I should have eaten one first just to check.  At least I could laugh at myself.

Yesterday was one of those days when I felt like even the smallest things would be what a camper would remember.

During Avenue (The teen's worship) I ended up giving a teen a big hug, and holding on for a while as she cried on my shoulder.  I'm sure she appreciated the shoulder to lean on.

Yesterday was one of those days...