Campin' Out

Well, I leave in 30ish hours for a month of summer camp. To those who know me best, this is a sentence you never thought you'd hear. I understand your skepticism, but please know that I am a changed man. Allow me to explain. The truth is that growing up, I had a deep affinity for camp. I spent time at our church's camp (we'll call it CC) ever since I can remember. My dad would be the Bible leader and I was a camper and a counselor and a Bible leader myself throughout the years. It has always had a piece of my heart. But then in college one of my good friends spent a summer on staff at a camp and she came back weird... like really weird. And not in a good way. She ended up marrying a guy she met during that summer and he too is just a little.. shall we say... off. So from then on out, camp people = weirdo's.
Fast forward to my time as a youth minister. Early on, a whole bunch of our summer events had to be cancelled or altered because our students were away at camp. And, frankly, I missed having those people around. So then camp = annoyance. Then it all changed. I decided to go up to CC and be a Bible leader. I spent a week there and realized that we were grossly under-utilizing our time with the 100 campers we had. CC was all about canoeing and not about Christ. That made me sad. It felt like I was at a 1970's YMCA camp, not a 21 century Christian camp, and we were missing out on an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel.  So I decided I wanted to be a vehicle for change... but I didn't know anything about camp, other than they make people weird and take away from summer fun...
A year ago I decided to spend some time at two AMAZING camps to get an idea of what it really could be. CC is only a camp for kid's for one month. It is a volunteer staff that completely changes every week. I wanted to see what "real" camps looked like. Camps that had full time staff and ran program for 13 weeks. So I headed to Eastern Wisconsin for a week and, suffice to say, my mind was blown. This was the camp that made my friend weird. But I didn't see weirdos, I saw amazing 20 somethings who were sacrificing so, so much in order to pour their lives into kids and share with them the love of their Savior. I was blown away. I wouldn't have done that as a 20 year old. I wouldn't have given of my self so fully and unabashedly. No way. I had much too high of an opinion of myself to do anything of the sort. When I went to camp to be a counselor, it was to goof off and hang out with the ladies...  the campers were in the way. But these counselors, they got down and dirty with their campers. They got into deep conversations. They built relationships, they shared their faith. They loved their Savior and it showed. It was HOT when I was there. But these counselors gave 110% for their campers- in everything- in games and songs and crafts and Bible studies. Never had I seen so many selfless people in one spot. For real. It was profoundly moving.
I then went to the mountains of Idaho where the setting caused me to buckle in awe and the people absolutely changed my life. That is no understatement. I went there for a lot of reasons, and I left broken in so many ways... I'm grateful for that brokenness, however. I think I learned more about myself, my ministry, and my Savior in those 10 days then I have in the past 10 years... and our God chose to teach me those things at camp. What a powerful thing camp can be! (There is probably much more to be written about my time in Idaho, but that is for a different day and a bit more healing, methinks.)
Needless to say, I have been very much sold on the wonderfully special role that camp plays in one's faith life. It is amazing. I joined CC's board of directors the year prior, but I didn't really plan on doing too much. I figured I could get them to order some better T-Shirts and maybe champion the cause of repairing their nasty bathrooms. But after last summer, I was convicted to do a whole bunch more. Long story short, I am pretty much personally responsible for causing an entire paradigm change- 55 years of history- in one fell swoop.  uff da.
I don't write this to brag. Quite the opposite. I write it because it is God alone who could change my bad and sour attitude and make a crazy idea like this fly. Oh how good God has been.
I worried. I still worry. I think this whole process has caused more heartburn and sleepless nights than anything else I've ever done (which is saying alot). What if kids don't come? We eliminated a whole day's worth of program.
-This year, we have the most campers since 1999.
But what if we don't have staff? These are BIG changes and people are stubborn.
-It turns out we have over 110 people on staff over 3 weeks of camp.
Man... I distress while God dispenses... How feeble I am.
So now, I head out and champion the cause of sharing Jesus more effectively and openly with the 310 kids with which we have been entrusted.
We have 12 hours of training... We added low ropes initiatives and intentional debriefing and application times that 98% of the staff have never even heard of, let alone know how to lead.
We have 55 years of bad habits and at least 5 years of bad precedent to bulldoze through in 12 hours... But our goal is solid.  Our aim is, in everything we do at CC, we lift high the cross, point to it and say "There! That is what CC is all about. Share THAT with your campers, share THAT with your friends, share that with the way you live your life."
It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
But I don't know how it is all going to work out... more worry... pointless, useless worry. Forgive me, Lord.
Honestly, I don't really know if I'm cut out for camp. I enjoy showering too much, I think... But I have been gifted two of the most outstanding "camp people" I know to run the show. I'm a mere player in a truly talented ensemble. (have I mentioned how good God is??) I am so very excited to be a part of this new chapter of CC. To be a part of the Holy Spirit's working in these young people's lives -camper and counselor (and me!!) alike- and to be a part of the super sweet new T-shirts we did indeed order.
God is good, y'all.
All the time.
So, thank you Lord for having patience with me when I belittled the powerful working that you do at these summer camps. Forgive my ignorance and thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience how much of a blessing Christian camps (and counselors) really are. Bless the staff and the campers; change hearts with your Holy Spirit. Keep our eyes fixed on you, the author and perfector of our faith. Thank you for changing my heart- especially when it comes to camp- and use CC to powerfully impact your people. Keep us from harm, shield us from danger, and let the peace that passes all understanding calm all my worries and fears. Its in Jesus name I pray this, and in His nail-marked hands I rest.