After working at a church camp for an entire summer, reentering the real world is so bizarre. We all joked about the Riverside bubble, but since being in college, I've been made aware of how much of a real thing this is.
It's so different going from a place where you get to spend time with Jesus all the time, and everyone around you loves Him just as much as you do, to going to a place where it can be intimidating to even talk about Jesus. It can definitely be hard going back to normal life and realizing that not everyone loves Jesus. It made me infinitely more thankful for the time that I had with such a wonderful staff this summer. It also makes me super thankful for the people that I still keep in touch with after camp was over.
Being with the same people for 10 weeks of the summer definitely creates a strong bond. It's so refreshing to be walking to class and to see one of them. It reminds you that although you may have left the camp environment, there is still such a strong community within the staff. It's also so nice to have FaceTime calls and lunch dates to keep in touch. Although it's not the same constant environment we all got to experience this summer, nothing can separate us from the family we became.
It's also a lot harder to be strong in your faith when you have to choose to have Jesus in your life every single day. It's not as easy as having your entire day focused on Jesus. This is another time when having the support of the great friends I've made this summer comes in so handy. It also just shows that we aren't meant to do it alone, God blesses us with a community, and we're meant to use it. (Advice credit to Robert for some of the best advice I received all summer.)
One thing is for sure, although we aren't all together, we're still trying to give 'em Jesus all the time. That's one thing that remains constant, even after you're done at camp.
