camp

I could honestly sit down and talk for HOURS about my experience as a camp counselor and what it meant to me! And I'm not joking, it would probably take a couple hours!! Because whenever someone asks me how it was I remember a story or a way with words that described perfectly my mindset throughout the week.

Which reminds me, I went straight from camp to Florida on vacation with my mom for a week. That's where I've been lately. And I've held off on this blog for as long as possible because I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say.. I want to say SO MUCH! Because the week was so much!!!

I guess I'll start with this: being a camp counselor was not as fun as being an actual camper. I'm not saying it wasn't just as worth it, I'm just saying it wasn't a walk in the park. It was HARD to have six 3rd and 4th graders around you every waking second for over a hundred hours, all the while their lives are your responsibility and you want to be the best leader AND the most fun AND spoil them BUT not let them get away with too much AAND make sure they behave and pay attention AND to try and give individual attention to each of them and try and check on them spiritually AND pray that they grow in Him over the week AND make sure that your head is still screwed on at the end of it all! But, that being said, I had a BLAST. We had a food fight, a talent show, a nail painting party.. We went kayaking, played "princess and slave girls", went fishing, had worship, made smores, played messy games, played tag, went down the water slide 100 times, swam in the pool, swam in the lake, went on a boat ride, sang songs, walked several places... It was awesome. But a lot of responsibility. And I think that's exactly what I needed.

I can't pick a favorite part of the week really, at least not a specific story, because my favorite part was just loving on my girls. I had six amazing, different, crazy, drive-me-crazy, 3rd and 4th grade girls. I loved lovin' on them. I forgot how much I loved love. And the week at camp reminded me. Because by the end of that week, I could say to each and every one of my girls "I love you" and they would say it back. And they would know I meant it, and I would know they meant it back. It was the truest, most pure, innocent form of love. The kind of love God created. And that was my favorite part of the week. Just getting to live in that love. I loved getting to know their quirks. Like, I had some complete sweethearts that would do anything I asked of them without complaining. They were so much like Christ! And then I had the one who was "out there" and she reminded me so much of myself when I was a little girl! Always making a new adventure up, always crazy, but always sweet as can be. And then, of course, there was the frustrating ones that caused trouble and such.. but we pushed through. And honestly they all had there moments for all of the personalities I mentioned :) And one of my many favorites.. probably my favorite.. was getting to baptize one of the girls in my cabin. I was overwhelmed to play such a part in her salvation! It touched my heart, truly.

So, ask me to tell you a story from camp! I'd much rather talk about it to you face to face better than blog about it and not be able to see your reactions! It was a crazy, awesome, hard, wonderful, Godblessed week. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.