Second Go Around

For the second week of camp, I was on what is called crew week. This is basically a week off for counselors. Instead of having campers, I worked in the general store here at camp. The general store is located at Mountain Village. This is where the 7-9 year old campers have camp. It was fun to see all of them and get to interact with the youngest campers.

I only worked in the general store until Wednesday though, because I got to go on vacation then. I went to Tennessee for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was so awesome to see my family and get to spend time with them. We went whitewater rafting and hung out together as a family.

My sister, cousins, grandparents, and I at dinner for their anniversary.

On Sunday I left and flew back to camp. When I arrived at high school camp, I was greeted by six new campers.

Week three has been going really well and I love my group. I have gotten really close to my campers through the different activities we have done. Yesterday, we went whitewater rafting and it was amazing. It was a little more intense than in Tennessee, but still really fun!

Tonight, there is a night climb where we play music and climb the climbing wall in the dark. We also have a themed dinner with skits and build your own burgers. It is one of my favorite nights because the personality of the campers really shines through.

Meeting with my mentor has been going really well! We are studying the book of Micah together and talking about how it relates to camp and to our individual lives. It has been super helpful to have that time set aside to focus on my own relationship with God.

Week two into week three was a whirlwind, but fun at the same time.

Green Meadow Lodge where high school camp is located 

Week One

Well, what can I say? Week one of camp is under my belt. This was one of the most challenging weeks of my life, but so worth it.

For the summer, I will be at the high school camp, which is the smallest camp at IdRaHaJe. I met my campers Sunday and spent the next week with them. I got to know them each on a personal level and minister to them while doing fun activities. 

Sunday was a very long day, but I got to learn the campers names, where they are from, and what made them each unique. The following days were filled with fun activities and lots of adventures.

One of my favorite parts of this last week was what we call the Inspiration hike. This is a hike up to Inspiration Point on camp property. I woke up my campers at 4am to leave by 4:30am and see the sunrise. It was incredible to see the wonder of a sunrise. The campers were then able to repel down the side of the cliff. 

Each week there is a chapel speaker that does two chapels per day and is available for the campers and staff to ask questions. Our speaker was amazing and truly was a help this last week. 

I am emotionally and physically exhausted after dealing with some really hard issues that campers brought to camp. There are some campers who left today changed because of the amazing things that IdRaHaJe offers. 

I was able to connect on a deeper level with my campers and they opened up to me. Last night we had a coffee shop for them so they can get each others phone numbers and stay in contact. All of my campers asked for my phone number and I was more than happy to give it to them. There are some who really are struggling and don't have a solid Christian they can look up to, so I am honored to be that person for them. 

A whole new set of campers come tomorrow, but it will be another opportunity to grow and build more lasting relationships. 

Training Week

After reflecting back on this last week, it has been so crazy!

I have officially been out here at Camp IdRaHaJe for over a week, I have learned so much about myself while out here.

When I arrived at the Denver airport, all of the nerves kicked in at the same time. I had never seen the Rockies before and was completely overwhelmed.

My nerves were calmed (for the most part) when I arrived at camp and had dinner with the leadership staff. We shared a meal and I learned where people were from and what brought them to camp.

The next day I helped get camp ready for campers and the other staff to arrive. I decorated some of the chapels on camp and met even more people.

It was great to meet the other staff, but I realized how much of an introvert I am. I stayed with 22 other girls during training and that was very overwhelming.

Part of our staff training was that we all hiked what is called Inspiration Point. This hike was with all of the staff and left at 4:30am. It was super early, but very worth it.

Part of training was going through the adventure activities here at camp. Some of these include a 45-foot climbing wall, a zip-line, and high ropes course. I also went on a horseback ride, shot a bow and arrow, and shot a BB gun.

I found out that I'll be a counselor at the high school camp. All of my campers arrive tomorrow afternoon. I'm a little nervous because I don't know how the day is going to run. The thing I need to remember the most though is that God has called me here for a purpose and I need to fulfill this purpose.

This coming week is going to test my patience, but will be a growing experience.