My Cup is Overflowing

Several days ago, I found myself walking the familiar trails and roads of camp with Ben, my dog and walking companion, noticing that something felt very different.  The feeling was odd, mostly because camp and its nooks and crannies, as well as all the spaces in between, had become just as familiar and comfortable as returning home to the house in which I grew up.  I couldn’t put my finger on what it was right away and I was puzzled by it for the duration of the walk. 

Nothing seemed out of place and the creation that surrounded me was calm and serene.  Definitely nothing out of the ordinary for an early morning walk before work.  Although feeling like something was different, I was calm and at peace. 

With our stroll coming to a close, I realized that this wasn’t a new feeling.  It was one that I had experienced in the past and a feeling I know that I will experience again in the future.  Time seemed to have come to a stand-still and in that single moment, every bit of my life made sense.  I felt whole.

The days, weeks, and months leading up to this moment had been so erratic, I had forgotten what it felt like to live in a single moment and to be conscious of every part of it.  And since that moment in which I had realized I was living as a glass half empty kind of person instead of half full, my cup began filling itself and now seems to be overflowing.

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Training for our summer leadership staff began this past Sunday and it is one of my favorite times leading into our summer season.  Staff always arrives excited and full of anticipation for what is to come.  Little do they know upon their arrival that I am feeling much of those same emotions, but over the course of a few days, I think it becomes very apparent that we are all on the same page.  This is exciting for me and very fulfilling.  The moment that we are all in the same place, is the moment that greater trust is formed, relationships mature, and pride for one another grows. 

And, since Sunday, other staff members specializing in certain areas have begun to trickle in, adding to the excitement and enthusiasm that seems to engulf camp.  There have been some intense training already and I find myself observing and watching in admiration the staff that keep their jovial emotions at the forefront rather than letting themselves get overwhelmed by the material being presented to them.  They care to learn and care to share that knowledge with people they will encounter during the summer season and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the community that is forming.

There’s still two more weeks of training to come, as well as the arrival of almost 40 staff members.  The excitement is building and my cup is continuing to overflow as I am surrounded by people that care so passionately about the same camp and ministry that I have loved for so long. 

As the summer approaches, my prayers are with staff that will soon be with us, the staff that are already with us, and the staffs of so many other camps that I have grown friendships with in the past few years--that they may be blessed with successful summers and the overwhelming feeling of passion for the service that they will be doing for so many this season.

May cups overflow this summer!

Devotion for Summer Staff

It has been way too long since my last post!  I want to try to stay true to my original goal of writing twice a month, so I'm hoping to pick up here, in this new month of May, and continue through the rest of the year.

Planning and preparing for the summer has consumed my life the past few months and now that it is almost to my doorstep, I'm looking forward to welcoming it with open arms.

One of my favorite parts about summer is being able to hand over all the hard work that the year-round staff has put in to the young and enthusiastic summer staff that are going to take what we've done, add their creativity, and make it so much better than we ever could have imagined it to be for the campers that they are going to work with.  Seeing the staff take ownership and loving what they do, makes my long days and sleepless nights worth it.  If this is what it feels like to be a parent sending their child off into the world, I can't wait for that to be a part of my life.  The pride of seeing young people interact with one another to make a difference is beyond what any words of pride and excitement could express.  I look forward to each summer's beginning, and each summer's end knowing that between those times, lives will be changed.

Included in this blog is a devotion that I wrote for our summer staff as they prepare their bodies, minds, and hearts for what is to come this summer.  Feel free to use it if you find that it applies somewhere in your life, too.

Devotion for Summer Staff

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

            -Ephesians 4:1-2

There are times that I find myself reflecting on the glory days of college as if I had graduated years ago.  Then reality hits me and I realize that it was only a few years ago that I found myself walking down the aisle to receive my diploma.  There are a few things that I will always remember about being a student.  One of which was working at camp three of the four summers that I attend SHSU.  The other was my education college’s motto. 

“The measure of a life is its service”.  I remember contemplating this statement for the four years that I studied as an education major.  This was such a heavy set of words, and I wasn’t sure that I believed in it much less could live up to it.  Who are we to say how great or horrible someone is based on things that they do?  There are so many people that serve not because they want to but because they have to.  Where do they fall in a statement like this?  Then I realize that by asking such a question, I am judging as well.  I think I might feel better if the motto was “The measure of a life comes from service.”  At least this would imply that there are two sides to service and that both parties could or could not be benefiting from it.  All I know is that people around the globe revere service no matter what capacity it is done in.  We all know that service is two fold.  Those that serve with love impact the lives of those they come in contact with as well as themselves. 

The service that will be done this summer will impact so many people.  The love for this ministry and all that it represents will manifest itself in our actions this summer and we could not be more excited of what we will do.  Each summer, pastors and sponsors continually sing praises of the staff, saying that each summer’s staffing is better than the previous.  Evaluations from campers and their parents will also sing praises about us and many of them won’t be able to wait to have their child return.

The joy of the service that you will do is knowing that it will not only touch the lives of the people that we will meet but also those that we may never be able to.  A few summers ago, we received an email that contained a reflection of the staff’s service that summer by a pastor that was so impressed with camp he wrote a devotion based on it.  He was in awe of the camper response to this place at the end of the week and the days that followed.  In the devotion he states, “Annie STILL thinks she’s an ‘Orange Iguana’”.

Your life will not be measured and judged by the service that you will provide this summer, but your actions of love and compassion will greatly impact the lives of others.  We will help create a memorable summer for campers, parents, pastors and sponsors, as well as ourselves because through God’s grace we have been called to this place.  Blessings as you embark on this summer!

Good and Gracious God, we sing praises to you for calling us to do your will this summer.  Thank you so much for being a guiding presence in our lives and we pray that you continue to make your presence known to us.  Mold us into the servants you have called us to be this summer.  Amen.