My name is Elijah Scheidler and I'm a youth pastor from Billings, Montana. I have to be honest: I wasn't planning on being a camp counselor this year but I got roped into it. Myself and two of my youth group guys volunteered to come up to camp to do the worship and told Jim that we were willing to help wherever needed. I was thinking of work-crew or kitchen-crew...but Jim had other ideas. He needed counselors, I said I was willing to help wherever, so counselor I am.
I've never done camp counseling before but I have to say I'm loving it. I've got a cabin full of junior-highers, an awesome CIT (counselor in training), and we're having the time of our lives. No shortage of craziness, antics, and lots of...well...smelly, disgusting things.
We're boys and that's what we do.
Today was a stellar day. It was the first full day of sun we've had and we took full advantage of it. After breakfast the group headed off to play game with waterguns and Alkasetzer tablets. Each student has a tablet hung on a string around their neck and then they try to shoot it off with the waterguns. It's such great fun!
Sadly, I didn't get to participate. I was off in the chapel getting ready for worship. Let me tell you: your kids go crazy in worship. We have a rocking awesome time! Tons of jumping, yelling, fist-pumping, actions, and singing at the top of our lungs. I was losing my voice by day two and I was using a microphone! By the time we wrap up worship getting the campers to sit down isn't too hard--we're all pretty sweaty and out of breath by then.
Jason brought up a really relevant topic in chapel today. He asked us all how many of us felt like heros. It wasn't a rhetorical question--he asked for a show of hands.
Nobody raised their hand.
I have to admit, I was wrestling a little with raising my hand. I figured if I did it may be interpreted as being prideful or something. Jason went off of this thought and did an awesome job of challenging all of us to walk in our identity as God's kids. It doesn't matter what we've done, or haven't done; it doesn't matter how we feel or what others may try to tell us; the truth is, we are sons and daughters of God through Christ Jesus. In Christ we are more than conquers.
Not just conquerors--more than conquerors. That's pretty heroic, wouldn't you say? The kids really dug it. It sunk in.
After chapel we all split up for skill builders. I've been helping Joni teach the kids some folf skills. [For those of you who may not know, folf is frizbee golf.] The kids in our group are rocking awesome! I've had a few of them doing so well I'm not sure if I could compete with them. (That'll teach you some humility, let me tell you.) I love being able to encourage them in their growing skill and then watch them gain confidence. All of the campers I've gone out with really gather around each other and encourage each other with their new-found skills. In the group I had today, all four boys deliberated for at least two minutes on the best way to play a particular hole--no argument or ridicule. Just excited and thoughtful input. It was great to watch.
After lunch we again split up but this time for fun activities. We had it all today: volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, climbing, hiking, paintball, canoeing, and a bunch of other stuff. Jerome even got in on the action. He went on the zipline twice! The first time he just sat down and kind of slid off the platform. He said that on his way down he thought, "That wasn't so bad! Come on you've got to push yourself." The next time he went up he clipped in, took a deep breath and took a running jump off the platform! The kids were so pumped when he told them about it at fireside this evening!
Just as we were about to lower the flag before dinner we had a little bit of an emergency. (Deep breath, dear parent: no one was injured.) One of my campers came up to me smiling and told me, "I used the bathroom before I went paintballing and it was overflowing when I left. When I got back just before I came down here I checked it and, guess what? It's still overflowing. Isn't that crazy?" Then he walked off.
You know, "crazy" might not be the word I would use. Not in the, "Tee-hee, that's funny" way but more of the, "That's crazy! I'll bet our cabin is probably flooded by now" way. All is well. It wasn't too bad. We've got some rafts and can row out to our beds. The top bunks aren't submerged.
Trial by fire--I think I'm a real camp-counselor now.
It's been an awesome week and we're coming into the final turn for the finish line. One more full day before we have to head for home. It feels like we've been here for a month. Not in a bad way at all. It's just that there's so much stuff packed into each day that it feels like five. I'm glad I volunteered to do music and got roped into taking on a cabin. It really has been a great experience. My guys are awesome and I'm really going to miss them once I head home.
Now all of the strange and sundry noises that are almost a constant while I try to sleep....
...that I won't miss.
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