There are many different things a college student can do with his or her summer. Some may study abroad or go on a family vacation. Others try to earn some money working in a restaurant or finding a paid internship. This summer I chose to work as a camp counselor for eight weeks at a Christian church camp in Florence, Mississippi, and it was the most challenging, but most rewarding eight weeks I’ve ever experienced. Over the course of camp, I had about 40 girls come to my cabin, and although I was supposed be their teacher, they were my teachers as well. Whether they knew it or not, these little girls taught me more about life, myself, and God. These are the three things that stuck with me the most:
1. True patience is not easy
I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty patient person. Before I came to camp, I would regularly babysit for several families both at school and in my hometown. I love kids, which is why I thought being a counselor would be a pretty good job for me. I was used to kids asking me endless questions and playing countless games of hide-and-go-seek. What I wasn’t used to was spending 24 hours, 5 days out of the week with seven six-year old girls, most of whom don’t know how to shower or brush their teeth on their own. I wasn’t used to being woken up at three o’clock in the morning by a camper who wanted to know if she could go to the bathroom. I soon realized how easily frustrated I got being pulled in seven different directions at once, and having to repeat the same directions for the 16th time to the same child who just seemed to be in her own little world. I saw through these experiences how impatient I actually was. The real challenge wasn’t leading a cabin of little girls, it was learning to let go of the little things and realize that I needed to humble myself and ask the Lord for a patient heart.
2.Sometimes, the people who are hardest to love, need love the most
Every counselor encounters a difficult camper, or even a difficult cabin, at least once during the summer. Maybe this camper was bullying other kids, or wouldn’t listen to instructions, or wanted to be the center of attention all week. Campers who act out are hard to connect with, but when I was able to connect with those campers, often times I saw a little heart hurt by death, or divorce, or bullying. It broke my heart just to see how many of my girls were already struggling with their body image at just eight-years old. They needed to know that they were loved. My campers showed me how desperately we all need love, and how Christ takes us all as His children, and loves us with a perfect love. My campers were a reminder to me that no one is “too hard” for God to love.
3. We need to slow down
Everything I do is on a schedule. Most of my year is spent juggling classes, work, studying, friends, extracurricular activities, and finding time for lunch. Even at camp, we were always on a tight schedule. Camp without a schedule would be total chaos. I was always in a rush with my campers getting to and from meal times, programs, and activities. Six-year old girls are definitely not known for their speed or their attention spans, so it was not uncommon for me to have to make several stops on the way to or from an activity because my girls wanted to ooh and ah over a fish, or a butterfly they saw on our walk. In the moment, it was easy to want to speed them along, but then I thought how beautiful it was that these girls had not lost their wonder. They were not weighed down with the stress of rushing from place to place, because they were enjoying God’s creation. They were enjoying the little things. Seeing how carefree these girls were, even when we were in a hurry, made me realize how hard it is for me, for our culture to slow down. There are so many times in my day when I am so stressed about the how I’m going to get from point A to point B that I forget to look at the little things. Seeing the wonder in these girls made me remember how important it is to slow down.
Spending eight weeks as a camp counselor was incredibly challenging. It is stressful, exhausting, and emotional, and it isn’t exactly a very high paying job either. I came to camp because I thought I could make a difference in children’s lives, and maybe I did, but I didn’t realize my campers would be the ones making such a big difference in my life.
