Ode to Camp Suwannee

As you may or may not know, I have been in the States since June 25th. The following weekend, Justin and I went on vacation with my family and then celebrated the 4th of July. Soon after, I posted on Facebook looking for ways to make a little money while I am home. I got a response, and it was a friend of mine (and my camp counselor for seven years) Shannon, who was directing Senior Camp at Camp Suwannee. She asked if I would like to come counsel. In a matter of a couple hours, I decided to do it, and in a matter of two days, I was packed and on my way.

If you do not know me, I do not handle spontaneity well. I like to have my plans in place and thoroughly enjoy sticking to them. Nonetheless, I embraced the opportunity and cancelled my plans for the week. As my husband graciously drove me to camp (so he could have the car for the week), I talked to him about how nervous I was about counseling, because I hadn't counseled Senior Camp in seven years, I wasn't sure if I would know anyone, I had just gotten home from China, and on and on. When we arrived, I slowly unpacked the car, said my goodbyes to my husband for the week, and cautiously entered the staff meeting that I was late to. When I walked in, I was pretty nervous, but greeted by familiar faces. As the meeting continued, I re-oriented myself and attempted to settle back into what I knew of camp.

When the meeting disbanded, I was scared to really talk to anyone. I did not know who remembered me, what they thought of me, and how they would feel about me being there. I also was not quite prepared on how to answer the question, "How was China?" Immediately, I got to spend time with two good friends, who at one time were campers when I was a counselor. I began to feel not quite so nervous, until the campers started to arrive. My co-counselor and I went for an hour without anyone signing up for our cabin, and I started to think that I should not have come. But, all of the sudden, I looked at the lists and our list was filled with the same campers we had together in our cabin two years ago. I greeted them as they came in, but it took me almost the whole day to feel like I could talk with them and communicate properly. For some reason, jumping into an atmosphere of American teenagers made me lose all ability to relate, like I had been out of the country for years.

Thankfully, as the day went on, more campers and counselors showed up, and I reconnected with some awesome people; some that I had not seen for two years and some I had not seen for six or more. Within about a day, I felt like I was right back at home, where I grew in maturity and I grew in Christ. Throughout the week, I had the opportunity to share my story about how God has been working in my life in detail with individuals and to the group as a whole at a bowl service. It was such a blessing to have people love on me wholeheartedly and listen to me talk, even if too much. I also had the opportunity to share in the stories of those who counseled me, camped with me, and who I counseled. I really enjoyed seeing those people who I remember as young kids and seeing how God has been at work in their lives and has taught them so much. I also enjoyed watching young adults, that I once prayed and talked with as campers, pouring into the kids during the week and showing so much wisdom and discernment.

The truth is, Camp Suwannee is a place where you get to see a community of God at work. Over years and years of relationships, God has done incredible things in all of our lives. From the time that I began as a camper at Camp Suwannee until now (20 years later), I can remember countless instances of times where my friends and I met God and encouraged one another. This year ended up being no different. God brought me to camp this year to fill in a spot, but it was all in his divine providence. He had words for me to speak to others and gave words for them to speak to me, even if they did not know it. I went at the beginning of the week, fearful of how I would be received and just hoping I could be of value. I left, sad that time had passed so quickly, and feeling more valuable than I have ever felt.

Thank you to all of you who have stuck by me all of these years. Thank you that time can pass and it seems like we never skip a beat. Thank you for your encouragement and for striving to be more like Jesus everyday.

Thank you God, for the gift that Camp Suwannee has been in my life and for the people you have brought me through it. We get a little taste of heaven, every time we get to be there. I do not know when I will return again, but I know that it will always feel like home.