Ten weeks of my summer were spent in no air-conditioning. I worked 18 hours a day while earning a measly $2.01/hour. I was in a constant state of my body screaming at me to rest. Whether it was my soreness, my sleepiness, or my sunburnt skin, I had never felt weaker before.
It was also the greatest summer of my life.
Kanakuk Kamps are Christian sports camps that I had the opportunity to work at this summer. In specific, I worked at K-Seven. I spent three weeks at staff training, two weeks on maintenance, and five weeks as a counselor. Some of my job responsibilities included raking leaves for hours on end, cleaning bathrooms until my feet looked like prunes, and trying to gain control of twelve hyped up 16-year-olds. It was overwhelming work, but it was the best job I’ve ever had.
On my way to K-Seven, I was filled with fear, anxiety, and doubt. The lies that had consumed me told me that I wasn’t going to fit in and I wasn’t good enough to be there. I did not know what to expect. Leaving that place after a summer filled with tons of fun, incredible experiences, and life-long friendships, I feel like a completely different person.
Kanakuk is awesome, but it didn’t change me. God changed me.
He used Kanakuk as a tool to open my eyes about His character, about true fellowship in Christ, and about my identity rooted in the Gospel. In my weakness, God made it clear to me how much I need Him. I could not accomplish anything on my own, but I needed His Spirit dwelling within me to give me strength and energy.
The staff remained united under one motto, “For the Kingdom, For the Kids.” We understood our sole mission at camp was to share Jesus with every camper that walked through the gates. We challenged each other to be intentional and use every chance we got to speak the truth of the Gospel.
I learned about the peace and love of God that surpasses all understanding. I no longer have to dwell in my past because I have come to live in the hope of Christ that does not put me to shame.
There are incredible camps, conferences, and other experiences in our lives that we can point to as being life-changing, and although I will strongly vouch for K-Seven (and all Kanakuk Kamps for that matter) as being the greatest place on earth, I can rest in the fact that it is not a place or a group of people that have changed my life. Instead, it is the grace of God that has overflowed for me. God used Kanakuk in a mighty way to open my eyes to who He is.
I will 100 percent be returning to K-Seven to work next summer, but I know that until then, I can apply everything I learned at camp to my everyday life. Because although camp is over, God is never done working in my (and your) life.
