summer tales

Somewhere along the line here, summer 2012 started creeping up on us! It's seriously right around the corner. We're well into staff recruitment and camper registrations are rolling along nicely ... we had more registrations in January than we ever have before!

In anticipation of the coming summer, I have a tale to share with you, submitted by Alyssa. It's her take on her experience as an ARISE camper in summer 2011. ARISE is our learn-to-be-staff camp and it's three weeks of lots of fun, lots of hard work, and lots of relationship and community building. ARISE campers spent one of their weeks in a cabin, working alongside one of our veteran cabin leaders, and they help with games and dishes and cleaning. They also do lots of intensive Bible study time and more!

Here's what Alyssa has to say:

Before summer, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do ARISE but looking back, I wonder why I ever doubted it. It was the best 3 weeks of my year.

One of the biggest things that I learned during those 3 weeks was that God will use the hard stuff that has happened in my life. I saw this through being able to connect with another camper who had experienced hard things. I never thought that the hard stuff in my life would do anything except for make me a stronger person. I had never really believed that God was going to use the hurt that I'd had.

I also realized how hard I had been on my cabin leaders when I sometimes acted up, when I was younger. I gained a better understanding of how hard that is on a cabin leader. I was a camper for Impact later in the summer, and that lesson helped me get on better!

I also realized that being staff is almost better then being a camper ... almost! I was very nervous to be in a cabin full time. I learned a great deal about being patient. My Explorer cabin was great.

Other highlights included when I learned how to do a T-rescue in canoeing ... I would be on canoeing on a day when we had tippers! (I am slightly afraid of canoeing. Still working on that.) I joined my cabin during an off-block when they wanted me to come horse back riding with them. They were elated! My knee didn't like it, but I still had fun. They talked about it for the rest of the week. I am so glad that I choose to give up my off-block....I had way more fun doing something I am slightly scared of. Yes I know that sounds odd but it is so true! As a cabin leader, you are supposed to be there for your campers and sometimes that means doing things that are challenging. But the reward is great, you get to see them happy and smiling and laughing. I think that is pretty great, a memory was made!