From the Journal of a Camp Counselor

I'm back, everyone!

As some of you may know, I spent the past nine weeks at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County, IN (please look it up because it is basically the best place on Earth), working as a camp counselor for the whole summer.

...I am practically spilling over with songs, riddles, jokes and stories to share with everyone! (Thank God for blogging, right?)

I learned more in my summer as a counselor than I'm sure I've learned anywhere else in my life. ..

(I now know how to make a connection with someone based off of only their shirt.
I now know how to soothe three girls that are very homesick at one time in the middle of the night.
I now know how to build a heck of a fire, rain OR shine.
I now know the difference between a One Cup of Coffee kind of day, and a most-definite Two Cup kind of day..)

(And of course, the more tired you feel, the bigger you smile.)

I learned that children are profound and create some of the most beautiful thoughts without even trying.
I learned that kids love, need, and thrive on purpose and feeling important.


Of course I could write pages and pages on what I learned, but I wanted to share with you one of my journal entries, because being a counselor was beautiful in an unconventional, raw kind of way...in a way I don't know how to share other than in writing from the exact place and time. (Journaling is like time travel...)

So here is an entry from one of the best moments of the summer...

"Today was a major turn around (FINALLY! I knew God could turn even this week around..) The rain actually stopped (again...finally) and I even got to take all the girls' wet, muddy socks to the health center to be washed and dried. You would be surprised how a pair of dry socks could change the morale around here. I'm so tired, honestly. I stayed up pretty late with (a camper) because, even though her homesickness IS amazingly better today, she woke me up crying last night. We talked for a longgg while and she is seriously so smart. This girl is inspiring to me. I mean how many 10 year old's can name ANY Greek god and also tell, in detail, the story behind that god? Not to mention her extensive knowledge of the Harry Potter series...Love it! But what made today amazing wasn't just the lessening of the rain or the dry socks. It was this...moment I had. We were walking out of the stables from horseback riding and I was asking (the camper that is homesick) if horseback riding was her favorite activity this week (since she loves horses) and what she said next changed my entire day.

"I liked my horse a lot. But my favorite thing about camp is my new friends. I've never made friends at camp before. I didn't think I could."

THAT is why I am a camp counselor. Because at the end of the day, this girl now believes she can make friends...something she never thought she could do. Knowing that I played a hand in getting these girls to connect...it's something I'll never EVER forget. I better (finally) get some sleep. Goodnight!"

It was one of my favorite moments. I hope that I can carry the skills I learned at camp with me for the rest of my life.

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