Christian Camping straight from Counselors
One of the best ways to learn about Christian camping is to ask someone who has been there. By asking a camp director, full-time staff member, a camper, or a counselor, you can gain a whole new perspective on the Christian camping experience. In this post, I have asked five counselors, who worked at different Christian camps, to share a short paragraph about what they have learned through counseling at a Christian camp. I trust that reading this post will be beneficial to you.
Michael Bagin
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| Michael, third from the right, with some of his campers. |
This summer, I had the opportunity to counsel at a small Christian camp in Pennsylvania. (Click here to check out the camp.) As a counselor, my eyes were opened to many things that I may not have noticed. First of all, I saw that I am much more selfish than I thought. Through little experiences each day, I realized that I care about myself much more than I think. Many times I had to give up my desires for the benefit of my campers and the other staff members. Another lesson I learned was to simply enjoy my campers and the people around me. As I ministered to them, they encouraged me and provided many moments of pure fun. Finally, I learned to depend on God for everything I do. In a camp situation, the need to trust God was magnified because of the lives that I impacted every single day. However, these lessons are not just limited to camp. Through working at a camp, I have grown more than I could ever imagine.
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| Michael, second from right, and some campers fooling around. |
Grace Williquette
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| Grace, middle, with some of her campers. |
My experience at camp taught me to love
people from all
different backgrounds and
to give myself sacrificially to them. One week, my
campers knew when I didn't love them , although I tried to hide
it. Even my lead counselor figured it out. Then, I realized that I was
one of the most influential people in the lives of these girls in my
cabin. I learned the difference between living love and just
acting love. As a counselor, and a waitress for two different summers, I
learned what it means to sacrifice out of duty and what it meant to sacrifice out of love. God also taught me how to depend completely on
His Word when I was counseling and didn't know what to say to a camper.
Jonathan Knoedler
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| Jon, front left, with two of his campers, with another girl counselor and three of her campers |
Working as a counselor at a Christian camp is definitely a
growing experience. Every week, you encounter 6-8 unique boys who come
from different backgrounds and home situations. As a counselor this past
summer, I fully realized the importance and power of prayer. Often,
young boys came into the week with no desire to participate in the games
or listen to the preaching, but by the end of the week their hearts had
been changed and they were eager to learn more about the Lord. Because I
could do nothing in my power to change these boy's lives, I had to rely
on earnest prayer and trust in the Lord to see fruit. Fully trusting in
the Lord and consequently seeing His marvelous power is an awesome
experience that I desire to behold many more times.
To learn more about the camp that Jon and Grace worked at, click here.
Brittany Cournoyer
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| Brittany, far right, enjoying some time with her campers. |
Spending a summer at camp was truly an amazing
experience. I want to share a few things I learned. First
of all, God showed me the importance of His Word. Growing up in a
Christian home, I had a head knowledge of God,
but didn't always apply that to my life. His Word was
important, but I did not desire it like I should have. This summer really
pushed me to His Word. I felt very inadequate to help teen girls and
give them counsel on God, His Word, and how they could practically
apply it to their lives. Because of this, often I talked to
God throughout the day and I really cherished the time in His Word. I
grew to love studying His Word and learning more about Him. I
definitely still struggle in this area, but through this summer I can
see some growth in my time with Him through His Word and prayer. Another
thing I learned is that Christ is better. The theme of the summer was
based on Hebrews and that whole book discusses the preeminence of God.
He is better than the priestly system, the prophets, and the angels.
While those are just the main ones Hebrews talks about Christ is better
than everything. This really showed me how wrong my priorities
are. Christ should be first place in my life. I also was encouraged and
challenged by the race analogy in Hebrews 12. God gave us other
Christians to help us run this race. It is such a blessing to know that
we, as Christians, are a community to help each other in the race.
To learn more about the camp Brittany worked at click here
Jaimie Flack
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| Jaimie, back middle, with her campers |
Rand (the director of the Wilds of New England) always told us that sometimes we just have to "Love
them {campers} to Christ." I had one girl who I knew needed to be saved.
She wanted to play with me in the pool, so I did. As I was pulling her
on my back, water in my face and all, I just kept thinking, "love her to
Christ, love her to Christ!" One day I was able to help her learn a
verse. She did it, and after I was able to explain that she had just
learned God's Word and give her the gospel. We got to the point of
decision, and she was embarrassed to pray out loud. I left her alone,
and the next day I found out she had prayed then and asked Christ to
save her! I've had the privilege of seeing this girl grow and she was
baptized this year. It was such a blessing to be a part of this ministry
and see God work in lives!
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