Camp has always been a part of my life, from church retreats when I was hardly a year old, to PeeWee Camp and attending every summer after. Like many, Camp is a place where I accepted Jesus and recommitted my life to Jesus after gaining new understanding as a kid each summer.
In 2015 I had the opportunity to be on Bridge Staff as a cabin leader, which led to applying for a role on Summer Team the following year, a position I had never considered myself capable of until then. In 2016 I was hired as the Special Events coordinator on the Summer Team. I was incredibly excited but also nervous. Growing up going to Camp, the midweek special event was the highlight of my week, so I knew how much kids looked forward to it and I felt that pressure.
There were aspects of the job that I felt confident about; planning, organizing, and creating detailed program write-ups. The behind the scenes stuff is more of my strong suit. The part I was more nervous about was being in front of everyone; the skits, fire side songs, and all of the live entertainment to be laid out in front of the staff and campers where I would find out if it was good or would fall flat.
My take away from that summer was how God works in us and uses the weak. Looking back, I can’t believe the things that I did. Not that I believe I had the greatest programs or camp fire songs, etc. to ever grace Camp Crossroads, but that through it all, no matter how imperfect, flawed, or silly, I felt confident about it. The nerves never really went away, but I believe that God took what I had to offer and he made it usable for his purpose, and that made it good. I found that I never had to hide my insecurities, but instead when I acknowledged them and gave them to God, I simply didn’t care. “This might be a gong show, and it’s gonna be great,” I would tell myself.
