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By John Ashmen
 | | Kids explore creation at Pioneer Pacific camp on Thetis Island.
Photo by Leah Gregg - Union Gospel Mission |
AISLE SIX in my local supermarket is where they line
up the breakfast cereals – three long shelves of sugar and smiles.
Even the most discerning child is easily perplexed by the enticing
possibilities.
From fruit flakes to playmates to first dates,
decisions only get harder. In the foreword of Garry Friesen’s Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, 1999), Haddon Robinson writes:
“We want to make right decisions, for we realize
that the decisions we make turn around and make us. As we choose one end of
the road, we choose the other.”
If you’re in high school or college,
you’re in road-choosing years. You have urgent, life-size decisions
to make:
Which institution for my life training? What vocation
for my life work? Which person for my life partner?
I believe that other, seemingly less important
decisions are more pivotal because of their ability to influence major
determinations. One of them is, “What will I do with my
summer?”
Options can range from exotic to exhausting. But
summer should be a time to find out if the road you’ve chosen is
leading in the right direction, and even a time to amass memories for your
journey. Serving on staff at a Christian camp or conference centre is an
excellent way to do that.
Beyond your walls
A staff experience at camp will build your
interpersonal skills. As a Christian camp staffer, you become a partner
with those you serve and a servant to those you lead.
This double role teaches essential lessons about
people that you won’t learn at school.
Additionally, it’s rare for camp staff to end
the summer without having developed several close friendships.
Working at camp will also place you in a peaceful
setting. Even though your regular focus may be an ankle-deep livestock
stable, a tray of sticky dishes or a cabin full of kids, the overtures of
creation are always playing in the background.
Wildflowers along the trail, wind in the trees, loons
landing on the lake, and warm, starry nights declare God’s presence
– and soothe the spirit.
A growth spurt
You could have the chance to sail, raft, climb and do
a hundred other challenging outdoor sports. With the right credentials, you
might be able to instruct campers in these activities.
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In addition to physically stretching experiences, a
Christian camp experience can prompt spiritual growth. You will be away
from daily distractions and you’ll have ongoing exposure to the Bible
through personal study times, staff devotions and guest speakers. There
will always be an opportunity to try out biblical truth.
Sharpen your vision
 | | Campfire warmth at Pioneer Pacific Camp on Thetis Island. |
Only about half of all college students have a good
idea of where they want to be in 10 years. The other half are still
choosing their road. If you’re in the first group, serving at camp
can confirm your calling or eliminate an area of interest.
A former employee told me during a post-summer
evaluation, “I wouldn’t trade my experience at camp, but it has
confirmed that I don’t have what it takes to work with
children.” She switched her college major and now enjoys a career in
broadcasting.
If you’re in the second group, a summer staff
stint will allow you to observe various vocations. Once I hired a
registered nurse who, five years earlier as a camp kitchen assistant, had
been attracted to the vocation by the skill of the camp nurse.
As you stand ready to choose your road, consider
working a summer at camp.
Regardless of the position you hold, you’ll
leave with new maturity and more education, and be challenged as never
before. And you’ll never forget the lessons you learned, because
you’ll always remember the experience that birthed them.
This article was first published in CampSight
(www.campsight.org) by Christian Camp and Conference Association.
April 2009
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