The impact that CAMP had on my life.

I first went away to an overnight camp with my church at age 10. I had been to sleepovers and even away from home on trips with sports teams and boy scouts overnight, but this was my first ever time away from the comforts of my home for an extended period of time. I was with other kids from my church whom I had grown up with, so I really was not afraid of the experience…but I really was not looking forward to it either.

I had a great life at home! My neighborhood was full of children my own age and we played during the summer months from early in the morning until Mom called me in for supper and then again after supper until it was too dark to play. I heard about what fun camp was and my parents even appealed to my sense of adventure, but what could top the never-ending games of “kick-the-can” or the football games in my front yard (where the only rule was not to tackle on the sidewalk)? What could top the thrill of getting on my bicycle and riding to the drug store on the other side of town to buy the latest comic books? What could be better than the boys going for hikes in the woods, scavenging, blazing new trails, role playing cowboys (or pirates) and adding to our ever-growing fort? But my parents thought it was a worthwhile event and so off to camp in the mountains of North Carolina I went.

I want to impress upon you that my life was complete…almost idyllic. I can’t imagine a better upbringing, a better family life, more opportunities and more resources. Only as I have grown to work in the youth development field have I learned how truly fortunate I was.

But as happy, well rounded and fortunate as I was, when I went off to camp…that camp experience changed my life!

My counselors were barely old enough to shave and they were in charge of me and 9 other children, all of us sleeping in a teepee. I loved them! They were so cool! One had a little mustache and I couldn’t wait until I could grow one! More than that…they loved me. I could tell. It was evident. They didn’t always like me, but they definitely loved me. That surprised me. I knew my parents loved me, but they were my parents. They had to love me. There was some kind of a law about that. They had to love me until I reached 18 years of age. I didn’t really know what happened when I turned 18, but that was a long time away! Seriously, the fact that these two cool young men spent time with us during the day… coaching… cajoling… teaching… role-modeling… guiding… that was so impactful!

I remember the second day when Alex (one of my counselors) took me to the side and wanted to hear my story. You know, things like where I was from and what kinds of activities I liked at home. He sat down with me making sure he was at my eye level and he looked at me eye-to-eye, man-to-man and he listened. He was interested in me. That interest-care-love-respect was so impactful to me!

To my chagrin, there were no other boys from my church group in my teepee. This secretly upset me, but this separation was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It forced me to open myself up to this new community and experience them opening themselves up to me. Some children go through their childhood without this experience and that makes me sad. The guys in my group were my cabin mates, my comrades, my buddies, my teammates. They were there for me and I was there for them. When it came time to invade the neighboring camp in order to get more points for my team, I was at the front of the pack! I would do anything for these guys.

We did a lot of stuff with just our cabin, but we came together each night for chapel. This time was nothing like the church services back home! These were fun and upbeat and exciting… full of skits and songs and stories. But God really showed up! My young heart was among many that was touched and moved to consider God’s great love for us and God’s Son’s great sacrifice for me. I knew all this and had decided to follow Jesus earlier, but this experience was so impactful and so personal. It was personal and it was corporate all at the same time. All of us enjoyed singing praise songs and allowing our young hearts to be opened in new and stirring ways.

That first week of camp went by quickly. I remember distinctly the heartbreak of leaving camp that first year. As I drove off (laying on the luggage in the back of the church van) I had tears in my eyes because I was not yet ready to return to my idyllic life. I missed camp and my new friends tremendously. I tried to explain the intricacies of camp to my parents, but my young limited vocabulary just could not fully describe the impact of that camp experience.

I religiously returned to various camps every summer (and occasionally for weekend retreats) until I left home for college. You couldn’t keep me away. At the time I didn’t realize I was learning discipleship, independence, community, confidence, self-discipline, leadership, and so much more. I didn’t realize I was part of an intentional educational environment with professionally trained staff. I didn’t realize there were safety standards and certifications by those caring for me.  I didn’t realize I would be a better communicator, a better teammate, a better student, a better friend, a better supervisor because of this experience.

I just thought I was simply enjoying camp. And I was. And I still do!