I laid in my bottom bunk, staring at the wires and wood inches above my head that promised to hold the top bunk in place. Two bunk beds over, a cabin mate was singing herself to sleep with lyrics from "Lips of an Angel." I was in the fourth grade, and it was my first summer at camp. Amidst the singing cabin mate and the ridiculous amount of mosquitos, I wasn’t totally convinced that I was camper material… until I met Erin and Caillin, third-year campers (with a lot of experience under their belt). Within days of our newfound friendship, I sent my first letter home to Mom and Dad: “Camp is AWESOME! Awesome! Awesome! Hit them in the head with a big dead opossum! Tell my dogs I love them! Bye.”
After nine years, Caillin and Erin are still two of my very best friends, and, along the way, we picked up a couple of others. The two weeks spent at camp each summer come and go all too quickly. However, those two weeks are special; those two weeks create forever friends.
Here are seven reasons why camp friends are your best friends (as told by a Kanakuk Kamper)...
1. Camp friends know how to make you laugh… deep belly laugh.
Camp friends are just as awkward, goofy and childish as you are. Whether they’re dragging you to “social” with their eyebrows painted green or walking into camp with a giant Nemo-shaped hat on their head, camp friends know how to make you laugh… deep belly laugh.
2. There is no judgment- only compassion and understanding.
Camp conversations tend to drift from the shallow, worldly conversations our generation thrives on. Camp not only gives you the opportunity, but also encourages you to share your testimony with the girls around you. So many of my most memorable camp memories have taken place in eno hammocks, bunk beds and on the cabin’s front porch. As I have shared my hurts, habits, and hangups with each of my camp girlies, they have reciprocated nothing but love, compassion, and understanding.
3. You love Jesus? I love Jesus!
Camp friends “just get ya.” Cabins are diverse, filled with girls who are all very different and from different regions of the country. However, you share common strands. The values you hold closest to your heart align with one another.
4. You are not connected with the outside world. You are forced to live “in the now”, right there, with your friends.
At camp, no phones (pagers, AIM, portable televisions, emails, Nintendo 3DS systems, etc, etc) are allowed. Therefore, there is no way of keeping up with the outside world.
Side Story: One summer, Caillin (pictured above) began to spread a rumor that Oprah Winfrey was no longer with us. Without technology to "check the story," it spread like rapid fire throughout camp. Within hours, campers and counselors, alike, were in a frenzy. One boy attempted to speak through sobs saying, “My mom and I watch The Oprah Winfrey Show together every morning!” That is the moment Caillin realized the extent of what she had done. Nevertheless, the terrorized camp bonded over our temporary loss.
5. You always have a dance partner.
Whether you’re belting out the lyrics to "Breaking Free" during dining hall hours or fist pumping to Sadie Hawkins Dance at camp parties or simply dancing in the rain, you better believe you will have one.. two.. 10 girls singing and dancing right alongside you. S/o to my camp girlies for loving "High School Musical," Relient K, and Christian Rap just as much as I do!!
6. Camp is a special place where special things happen as you’re surrounded by special people.
The night I surrendered my life to Jesus, my friend and counselor, Claire, sat by my side on the front porch of our cabin, hugging me as I cried tears of remorse and total joy. As we sat there together, she began to pray for me and with me. Following the most precious and important night of my life was my baptism. A couple of days later, my camp girlies came to support and pray for me as I was baptized in the waters of Table Rock Lake.
7. Camp is only a couple of weeks… but the friendships are year round.
The day of my sister’s wedding, Kanakuk friends filled the rows. In the weeks you grow to know one another’s hearts, you subconsciously become one another’s accountability partners. Group chats stay active all year, and letters frequently come in the mail, backed up with facetime dates and phone calls.
This past week, I met with a couple of previous Kanakuk counselors. Although it was my first time meeting each girl, we laughed and shared lives as if we had known one another for quite some time. We reminisced about camp stories, and I even told them the Oprah story… I died of laughter as one of them announced that the Oprah story was legendary at Kanakuk K1. Kanakuk has filled my life with an abundance of incredible people, and I have watched the Lord’s continued handiwork on top of the Missouri mountains each summer. This summer, I’ll be back at Kanakuk K2, returning alongside some of my best friends. Only, this time, I’ll be wearing a watch (counselor status).
