Camp: week one

So i've had the opportunity to work at this amazing camp called Camp Aldersgate in the past. Volunteer work has it's perks here. I got to work with some super awesome kids in the past years. This year was a little different. I worked as a counselor. I got to work with some super awesome kids this week. That's another story. But one thought that stuck with me through the week was something the camp coordinator said: "you are being given some people's most valuable possession: their child. Don't forget that." And it has been stuck in my head all week. I stayed awake in bed Sunday night and looked at all the faces in my cabin, I got slightly scared. I didn't know if I was going to be the one to screw everything up for that one camper or not. I was sleeping uneasily that night.

Well, first night down and i wake up and go to breakfast with the kiddos. Just to let you know, that wasn't an easy task...first we had to wake them up. THAT in itself was a miracle most mornings. We got up early the first morning. We found out we didn't need to. We just sat on the back porch for about 45 minutes and chilled. I got to know them a little better. I got to know them throughout the week. I knew which ones were troublemakers *COUGH*all of them*COUGH*, i got to know which ones were chill, which ones were tasmanian devils of camp, which ones were good with the ladies, and which ones were just crazy kids (which was pretty much all of them.)

But one thing i noticed more and more every day is that they're just kids. God created them to be kids. Some of them have certain abilities, others don't. Its as simple as that. They still like all the things kids like. I had one kid who LOVED "I'm a Believer" by Smash Mouth. He was so hard to understand most of the time, but he sang along with every word of that song. He loved Disney movies such as finding nemo or cars. There was another one who would not lower his energy level any! It was a rare day if he laid down for a nap during rest time! then of course there were the brothers. Fought very little surprisingly, but still liked causing trouble wherever they went. Another camper didn't like storms so when it rained in little rock, i played ukukele for him till we BOTH fell asleep. One camper rode his scooter everywhere. He was almost always at the front of the group when we went to different events. He loved going fast. Going back to my original point, these guys are just kids. Nothing is different about them. This whole week, i had the amazing opportunity to prove that they could do most everything you and i could do.

I prayed to God that he would bring each one of them back next year. Even the ones not in my cabin! I helped with personal care in one cabin that was particularly wheelchair filled. I fell in love with the kids and people here. Sometimes they were difficult, but they still caught hold of my heart and will never let go.

I will reiterate what i said earlier, these kids are parents' most valuable possessions. I got to find that out this week. I learned that some kids spend all year waiting for this one week where they can be normal. Nobody looks at them funny, nobody makes fun of them, nobody feels left out, nobody feels different, they're normal.

I'm going to stop myself before i continue on and on, because i can. I'm sitting on my hammock on the back porch of one of the cabins because i'm staying here over the weekend. This week has been awesome and I'm never going to forget the memories made here. But nonetheless, i'm dead tired. Prayers for energy would be appreciated. I'll talk to you guys later.

God Bless,
Nathan