Our head lifeguard once described our job as "Facilitators of Worship". This is not just us lifeguards; this is anyone and everyone that contributes to the life of the camp.
We run the camp in order to give the guest group leaders the freedom to focus on ministering to the kiddos.
We, as the staff, cook all the meals. We wash all the dishes. We facilitate the paintball course and the zipline. We clean their rooms when they leave. We scrub their toilets and showers. We coordinate the use of certain buildings for their gathering. We make sure they are safe and having fun while they use the waterfront.
We don't live glamorously, here. All those jobs above aren't the most enticing bullet points on a dream job description. We don't always get to eat when we want, and we give up our idyllic parking spaces for the groups. For the most part, our sleeping arrangements are on the cozy side. Showers, sinks, toilet paper, fridge space, noise levels, transportation... We share our space. We live, sleep, eat, work, learn, and play on this campus, and sometimes it does get a little crowded.
For at least one summer out of our lives, however, we have chosen this. One might ask what the draw is. Does the outdoor lifestyle make it worth it? Do we just love serving that much? Are dish-washing and ziplines our passions in life? Likely not. We do have a few cooks that are bound for bigger and better things, and I suppose lifeguarding is a transferable skill - are we just here to gain experience for the real world?
Imagine - if the group directors had to plan, coordinate, hire for, and facilitate all of these things... Would a summer kids camp of this scale even happen? And if it did, would the cabin leaders have this kind of opportunity to build relationship with their campers?
Maybe it is just me. Camp gets me excited, and I love playing a role - any role - in making each week an unforgettable experience for campers and leaders alike. If it's just telling kids not to run on the dock, housekeeping in preparation for their stay, or perhaps making them a smoothie or two - that's enough. I'm not on the front lines of the battle for their souls, but I am enabling those that are. They can dedicate all their time and attention to the growth of the 5 to 10 little lives in their care. Change happens here. God can do so much in the span of a week, when campers are willing to hear from Him. Often, it seems that kids are more open here to the movement of God, than at home, making this a critical point in time. Every moment, every interaction has the potential to shape someone's destiny. A kind word, a warning given with love, a delicious meal, a smile, a welcoming staff... You never know.
It is so easy for me to start thinking of this as "just work", and the people that enter this campus as "just another guest group". I don't own this place. I don't even run it. I have been employed and blessed with housing, meals, laundry, and so much more. God is doing incredible things here, and I might miss it all if I'm so blinded by my SELF and what I foolishly think I deserve. I never, ever, ever want my selfishness or sense of entitlement to inhibit the work of the Lord. It is so easy to do. So incredibly easy. My bodily instinct is to serve ME first, and to make my personal comfort first priority. It comes so naturally. My daily mantra needs to be "Love others, love others, love others."
So this is me, giving up and giving in. My life is not my own, but belongs to the One who paid the ultimate price. He gave everything for the eternity of my soul; who am I to refrain from giving it all back to Him? Who am I to claim my right to eat food before anyone else? Who am I to think the laundry room belongs to me? Who am I to whine about parking on the other side of the camp, a mere 2 minutes away? Who am I to think of myself as higher than those I serve? Christ was the ultimate servant of all. I would make myself a Pharisee.
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