As May comes around and I get ready to make the long trip from Omaha, Nebraska to Livingston, Texas I am always asked the same question again and again by my friends and family. “Brittney why in the world do you choose to spend every summer at a camp in Texas? Wouldn’t you rather stay at home and spend your summer with us while being adventurous and doing activities?”. As much as I try to explain my reasons to them no words will be able to explain the experience I have gained by working at camp Cho-Yeh.
They will never understand running around in 100 degree weather trying to catch characters for A/O games, or hiding in the woods in the pitch black so the hunters won’t find us during night games. They will never understand why I come home every summer with my body covered in a sunburn along with bug bites. They will never understand why I choose to stay up late with a camper as she tries to explain her doubtfulness in her worth for God’s love while I tell her otherwise. They don’t understand.
Working at a summer camp is everything but easy. You get physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. You get tested on every level. Every day you give it your all for your campers even when you want to give up and call it quits. You want the best for your camper, even if the best is more than you are able to offer on your own. You learn to understand the meaning of dying to self. All of those hard times don’t even compare to the incredible moment when a camper says to you “Thanks to you, I now believe in Christ and His word and want to live for Him”.
I work at a summer camp for the smiles I see on kids faces when they have conquered their fear of heights when jumping from our 50 plus feet quick jump on the high ropes course. The moments when we see kids running around and enjoying life freely are priceless. The moments you see kids dive into the Bible and find a new life through Christ. The talks you have with the kids about how much God loves them despite the past they have endured.
My friends and family are right in some ways; I could be spending my summer doing something crazy and adventurous with them, but I choose to give up three months of my life each summer to make an impact in at least one kid's life forever. That is why I choose to give up my summers to work at a Christian summer camp.
