My Summer at Camp Joy

This summer I was able to work at Camp Joy as a Co-Counselor. I can confidently say that it was the busiest, most tiring, shortest, and best summer of my life. If you don't know, Camp Joy is a Christian camp in Whitewater, Wisconsin. This camp has played an important role throughout my life. I have attended this camp for a long time and has been impactful in my walk with Christ. It has been a blessing to be able to impact many different people through my summer at Camp Joy.

What is a Co-Counselor? What Do They Do?

This is something I wanted to cover because I did a lot of things I didn't expect to do as a Co-Counselor, and many people may not even know what a Co-Counselor is. Being a Co-Counselor means that you counsel along with another person who is experienced and knows a lot about counseling. I was paired with Andrew, and he was an amazing person to Co-Counsel with. Throughout the summer I did a lot of things, some expected, and many things were not expected. Andrew and I had a cabin of guys every week of camp, ranging anywhere from 3-11 campers. It was always amazing to build bonds with campers. That was the bulk of my responsibilities during the week, and it was very challenging, but also very rewarding. After the campers left on Saturday, all the summer staff would get together for a staff meeting. We would discuss the week, encourage one another, and get our cleaning assignments. We would also take time to break into edify groups. An edify group is a small group where you would go through a devotional, and then be able to pray for each other every week. I got to lead an edify group, but I'll go into more detail about that later. On Sundays, I had the opportunity to be on a ministry team with the director of the camp and others. I'll talk more about that later in this post.

My Experience Being a Co-Counselor

If you don't really like reading, here's the short version. It was amazing. This summer I grew so much in many different ways.

I Grew in My Faith

First and foremost, I grew in my faith. I was able to experience the power of prayer in a way I had never seen before. It was amazing that as I was stretched and tested, God filled in the huge gap between my physical ability and what was required of me. The schedule was daunting at first, but it gave me structure, which enabled me to have deep, intimate time with God every day. I also had the pleasure of hearing several sermons almost every day. What surprised me was that I learned from every speaker, even the ones who were speaking to juniors (7-12-year-olds). It was amazing hearing new truth's from God's word and growing alongside my campers.

I Grew as a Person

I also grew as a person. This was the first time I was away from my parents for an extended period of time. It was a challenging experience that gave me time to reflect on my motives for what I do. It allowed me to meet many new people and grow in my ability to connect with others. I learned how to lead, but more importantly, I learned how to follow.

I Had Fun!

This is something that is, in my opinion, vastly unknown. As a Co-Counselor, I had fun, every single day. Just interacting with other summer staff workers, bonding with my cabin, and even cleaning was a fun experience. Throughout the summer the staff was able to play gaga ball, speed volleyball, softball, laser tag, a 4th of July picnic, and a field day. Overall, this summer was an amazing time where I was able to serve God and have a blast while doing it.

The Way God Used Me

So I've talked a lot about my experience in Co-Counseling, but what I haven't mentioned is how God was able to use me this summer. I have had so many great conversations, and it was amazing to see God working in the lives of my campers. It's the very first day of camp, and I am nervous. I really don't know what to expect, and I feel vastly unprepared. Thankfully, I make it through the day. No one dies, I don't embarrass myself (more than usual) and I make it to bedtime. The campers are all getting ready for bed, and it comes to devotions. Andrew and I were going to share our salvation testimonies, and then Andrew was going to share the gospel. I really didn't think much of it. I expected to share my testimony and go to bed. Thankfully, God had other plans. That night I was able to lead two of my campers to the Lord. And after that first night, God never stopped working. Throughout the whole summer, I was able to see God's hand, leading conversations and turning people's hearts. Around halfway through the summer, I was just sitting by the Gaga ball pit, talking with one of my campers. I was trying to get to know him better and connect with him. The next thing I knew, God turned the conversation to spiritual things. Just over and over I could see God working through me, using me to show Christ to others. Praise God!

My Experience as an Edify Leader

This summer I had the opportunity to lead a small group every week in a devotional, and it was one of the most challenging things I did this summer. I was thrust into a position that I was unaccustomed to. I had never been in an edify group, so I didn't really know what it was supposed to go like. It was a challenge, but it was also an amazing experience. Being able to learn from others in my group was such a blessing. I learned things from this group that I would have never realized myself. It was also a great experience to have, as it prepared me to be a better leader in the future. Being an edify leader (and also a Co-Counselor) has shown me that a good leader needs to listen to those he leads. Another great thing we did as an edify group was our edify group activity. As a group, we got a boat tour of the lake and went to Culvers to get ice cream. On the  way there, I asked everyone, "What is one thing you would change about me?" I got a couple different answers, but one that really struck me was that I should talk less. If you've ever met me, you probably know that I talk. A lot. And this was something I never would have noticed unless I had listened. In the next edify group meeting, I tried to talk less. And they talked more. And I learned more. Overall, being an edify leader was an amazing experience.

My Experience Being On The Ministry Team

This summer I was also able to be on the camp's ministry team. Every Sunday, I and a group of others would go to different churches with the camp director John Moore. The group ranged anywhere from 7 total to just me and Pastor Moore. It was an amazing experience to be able to see many different churches with unique people, preaching, and properties. It allowed me to see that church does not need to be done in a specific way. It showed me that there is great uniqueness in different churches. One of the most interesting trips was what Pastor Moore and I went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit a church there. There were over 11 hours of driving, which allowed us to have several deep conversations. It was a great opportunity to learn from someone much wiser than myself. Almost every Sunday I was able to share a testimony about how God has worked in my life through Camp Joy. Overall, it was a great opportunity to visit a plethora of churches and learn a lot.

Conclusion

I hope that this post allowed you to experience my summer working as a Co-Counselor at Camp Joy. Overall, I had an amazing time at camp, growing in my faith while being able to serve others. Thank you for reading! Please feel free to comment on anything about the design of the website or anything you think I should write about.

Saved to Serve,

Jeremiah