Personal Narrative: My Joy Of Working At A Christian Summer Camp

After seeing the smiles that seemed almost permanent that week, I realized how important it is to work with and help younger children. I also learned what it’s like knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. I’ve been a counselor at that same camp for two more years since that first summer, and it gets better every time. Even though it can be difficult and frustrating to work with children sometimes, the reward that you, as well as the children, receive is well worth the effort.

Thus starting the best summer of my life, I grew closer to God then ever before, made life long friendships, and saw God work in amazing ways in the hearts of kids. This summer was the most productive summer, spiritually, I’ve ever had all because I followed the call. Following the call was not an easy thing to do, I had to quit my current job which was a great Job with a nice big paycheck every week, and leave home for two months, all to take up a job that didn’t pay well and that didn’t have the most comfortable sleeping quarters, but it was well worth it and I am planning to return to the camp next

Last summer I volunteered to be a camp counselor at a camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina called Camp Sonshine. This camp is different from others in that they bring children ages 5 to 18 from inner city Memphis, Tennessee to the Appalachian Mountains. This

For two years I worked as a camp counselor for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA). In this time, I have worked day camps, inclusion camps, social program,s and even an overnight camp for children, teens, and adults with special needs. My responsibilities were to plan crafts and activities that were inclusive to the various needs and abilities of the campers. Most of all, being a camp counselor meant creating a safe and fun environment for each

I attend my church's fifth and sixth grade summer camp as a teen counselor, and have done so for three summers. This experience is very special every year because as I grow in my own faith and knowledge, the experiences I see my campers undergoing in just a weekend means more and more

Since the summer of 1987, the Lord has been faithful in making many dreams become realities to better improve and strengthen the Winshape Camps ministry for generations to come. What started out as a ministry running only one camp for boys in Mount Berry, GA, is now one that runs eight camps for children of all ages both nationally and internationally.

After this camp, I continued my volunteer hours by job shadowing at a nursing home for alzheimer and dementia patients. This helped me to know how to better communicate with not only younger children,

I completed a summer Internship at Britton Christian Church. The Church is over Eighty years old, and is located in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. I discovered the availability of this internship through one of their new pastors Irvin Rodriguez. Over the past few years I had a growing interest in youth Ministry. My time at Dallas Christian College helped me to realize my passion for the youth. I then began to look for an internship position relating to youth Ministry.

When things aren’t going as planned and there is no way to move forward I tend not worry about the things that I cannot control. I explore every option, I will seek out the help of others who have been in my position before see if they have any advice, and once all options have been exhausted I will take a step back and try to focus on another step that can be handled while things get worked out. I also pride myself in making sure that I hold myself accountable when things aren’t right. When I was the summer camp director at a daycare center we had a no nut facility, so any lunch brought from home had to be check by the team leaders. One day a team leader missed a lunch with nuts in it, the kids told their parents that another kid had was

Emma Chester, my camp counselor, is a hero. I was going to Portage Lake Bible Camp for the first time with my new church. I’d heard about this camp. It sounded fun. What could go wrong? Lots of things. I grabbed my bags, hugged my parents goodbye, and left. About four hours later, we arrived. I was told my cabin and counselor after entering. I had Cabin 6AB, and Emma, a bright, smiling young woman. I found my group, and they told me about her. She appeared while we made our beds, smiling brightly, and they ran to give her a hug. We had a lot of time to decompress, and later we sang around the fire pit. Our group became a family. Over the next few days, I loved Emma. Whether she was chasing us around in an intense game of Gorilla Warfare, trying

That first year of JC’ing I realized what I had missed the previous year. I was able to enjoy the same fun experiences at camp but have more freedom, which came along with the responsibilities. I learned how to be a proper disciple towards my campers I was

When I was first awoken before 8:00 a.m on a Monday morning in July, it is not hard to imagine how unamused I was. My mom had signed me up to volunteer for two weeks at the Munroe Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Their summer camp for kids with special needs ages three and a half through twenty-one had become my home for the next week. This camp provides an summer camp experience for kids who would not otherwise have one. The campers are divided into groups with staff and volunteers as well. A volunteer at Camp Monroe has a new buddy every day they help their buddy with tasks, offer encouragement, and give simple direction when needed. The activities for the campers include: swimming, cooking, sports, creative

Track & Field: I was involved my Freshman and Sophomore year. My positions were long jumps and the 100 m. I learned how to build teamwork with others in such a team-oriented sport and also learned to be involved with school activities.

When I first started my internship in July, I was a bit disappointed. I was disappointed not only with the fact that I was going to be doing an unpaid internship, but also with the fact that I was working at a church that basically accepted me as an intern because my parents are missionaries. I had high hopes for the summer, expecting to intern somewhere like JB Hunt or Enterprise, but instead I was in Richmond, VA looking for guidance. I do not know that it is an experience I would hope to do again, but I definitely learned some things from my time working at Ridge. I hope these things can help me be a better team member and professional wherever I may go in the future.

Interviewing several pastors can be eye opening in that you will begin to see different character qualities, disciplines and where they are in their spiritual journey. My intention was to interview several pastors, however, I was unable to obtain the responses needed to complete a study such as that. I did get to meet with one pastor, and I believe that it was truly difficult for him to answer most of the questions even after giving him some time to think about each question. My interview was with a very intelligent and spiritual man named Les Harvey. He is currently serving at the Church of the Highlands Greystone campus under many great leaders.