What do you get when you tell a bunch of camp staff to climb a twenty foot wall? No this is not the start of a terrible joke. "The Wall", as we affectionally call it, was the challenge of the week for our Ropes Staff Training. Don't be fooled, this was not easy.
Our dedicated Ropes Staff who are up at camp for a week of training had to scale the wall using only each other. Although they had harnesses and ropes for safety, the equipment was not what got them up the wall. I watched in wonder as they lifted, pushed, and pulled each other up physically with their bodies and emotionally with their encouragement. I watched from the ground as one by one the staff members hoisted each other into the air as high as they could, before the people atop the wall would pull them safety to the other side of the wall. Then they would do the process over with the next climber. It took strength, problem solving, communication, and lots of encouragement. It would be a lie to say that it was easy or that the team didn't experience disappointments or set-backs in their experience, but they met the challenge with loads of optimism and encouragement. Then it hit me like a 1000 pound weight. Buried in the challenge was a lesson for our camp ministry. It would have been impossible for any single staff member to scale the wall themselves. It is just physically impossible. Sometimes I imagine our ministry here at camp like the wall. No single person could ever tackle the ministry that takes here alone. It takes a group effort from our year round staff, SALT staff, Junior staff, prayer warriors and those families who keep coming back year after year. Together we make this beautiful family that God created to carry out ministry. The Christian community that camp provides is largely one of the biggest blessings and I pray that God continues to add more to our number. My friends, my teammates, and my brothers and sisters in the faith, know that I am so blessed to have you all in my life whether directly or indirectly. Thank you for joining our camp family so that together we can "climb the wall" to carry out our mission of "Relaxation in Creation and Renewal in Christ". I promise that they did finish the wall. It certainly took some fancy climbing and trust in each other, but they finished. The last person to climb was Jess Friebe who literally had to scale Elisha Doerr who hung off the edge of the wall. Kyle Wilson held on tight to Elisha who clung to the wall so earnestly in order to help Jess up the wall. The rest of the staff encouraged from the ground and beyond all odds, Jess, and everyone else, made it up the wall. This moment was definitely one of the most exciting points of Ropes Course Training. Even now as the memory is fresh in my mind, I am sure that the both the moment and lesson won't easily fade from my mind. As we wrap up this training, everyone here eagerly looks forward to the whole staff arriving on Sunday for another week of training. I promise we are getting excited for summer camp to start, are you? Post you excited face in the comments. Chosen and Redeemed, Sammie Siev
2 Comments
Toothbrush, tennis shoes, water bottle, pillow, Bible, sandals, sweatshirts, a sleeping bag, letter writing supplies, sunscreen, towel, t-shirts in every color, and soap. Yet somehow, I just can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something.
I go through the same thing every year: pack up my dorm room, bring my stuff home, pack it all back into plastic crates, move it all up to camp. (All that moving makes me wish I didn't have so much stuff.) But here I was, knee deep in t-shirts with the pre-camp jitters. The anticipation of spending my entire summer serving children in God's creation makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I had spent most of my year reminding myself, "Summer is coming!" Now summer is on my doorstep and I feel like a kid in a candy store. The truth is that not much has changed since I was a camper. When I think back to the days of shoving clothes into my duffle bag until it barely closed, I remember telling my mom, "I know I need all these shirts because what if I am on the cold team or the hot team, maybe my whole cabin will want to wear yellow to breakfast one day. So I definitely need all of these shirts." She shook her head at me just like I am currently shaking my head at myself as I think, "Do I really need three Camp Phillip Kazoos?" (The answer is yes. In case you were wondering.) Surrounded by clothes that probably won't all fit in my bags, I had a thought. It isn't what I bring to camp that is important. It's what I leave with from camp that is important. At the end of the summer, it won't matter if I had enough socks or aloe when I get sunburnt. Instead, at the end of summer I will have the after glow of days in the sun, lessons learned, memories of days well-spent, and deep connections with campers, staff members, and most of all my Savior. So I may be packing now, but I know that God is packing my summer suitcase with so many experiences that I can't help but smile. By the end of the summer, not only will my bags be full, but my heart will be also. That thought is enough to know that all this packing is well worth it. As much as I would love to dream about my summer all day, I have some packing to finish up. My friends, I hope you pack your bag as well and follow us through the summer. I promise that it will be fun. Let me know how packing for camp goes for you and your family or what you remember when you were a camper. I'd love to hear from some fellow "campies". Chosen and Redeemed, Sammie Siev |