hello friends! i know a lot of you are moms who get to care for young kiddos all summer and/or college graduates who are working full time jobs (#bringbacksummer) and this post may make you miss the carefree days of summer jobs 😉 BUT i also know that a lot of you out there are college aged so this post is for you!
many of you know that i worked at summer camp my college days. i spent three summers on staff with Eagle Lake Camp and they were some of the best times i ever had! if you read meg’s (rivers & roads) post about our friendship you will see that a lot of it takes place at camp – it is where we met! i also met my husband there (awe. #campcouple) and many of the people in my community group. I grew in my relationship with the Lord in huge ways and discovered so many of the skills & talents the Lord has gifted me with. i formed relationships with my campers that have spanned the years and i have seen them go back to be counselors and even graduate college.
if you are still trying to figure out what your summer looks like and you are between the ages of 18-23, this is me highly encouraging you to look into working at Eagle Lake!
1. IT IS A ONCE (or thrice) IN A LIFETIME CHANCE: i know it is crazy to think about, but soon summers will change for you. whether it is because you have a full time job that makes you work 9-5 all summer (say it isn’t so!) or because you are planning a wedding/ getting married or because you are starting a family and spend your summers with your littles hitting up the zoo and the Chick-fil-a play place, your summers will not be like the carefree summers of your youth. you only have four (ish) college summers and you can spend them working normal jobs that you will be working the rest of your life OR you can spend them adventuring and working at camp!
2. THE COMMUNITY IS UNMATCHABLE: for reals. when you work for 11 weeks with the same wonderful and crazy staff you grow so close to each other. you share memories of funny campers, silly games, pranks, meals, days off, and campfire songs. you bond over epic games of flag football and blob wars. you become family as you encourage, support, and pray for each other. real authentic relationships thrive in a community where showers and makeup are unnecessary. these people have seen you at your worst (before your coffee and without mirror time) and still love the crap out of you! it is a unique community that is hard to find anywhere else! and that unique community will challenge you to grow, encourage you, walk with you, and fight for you!
3. YOU CAN SPEND YOUR SUMMER OUTSIDE (and not in an office): welcome to Colorado where the heat is dry and the sun is out! you may not know, but Colorado has an average of 275 sunny days a year! we also have like zero humidity so you can spend the whole day outside without passing out! you cannot argue with that. take advantage of the time when you can hike around the Colorado mountains and enjoy the beautiful summer weather. one day you may be trapped in an office all summer (like me! yikes).
4. THE LORD CHANGES LIVES: Amen! and isn’t that the greatest thing? when you get away from the everyday of life and spend time away in the mountains surrounded by believers, the Lord really works on your heart. when the laptops and cell phones can be put away for beach time conversations, games, family meals, and campfires. the Lord uses you to share Truth with your campers and He also teaches you a few things. i grew in my relationship with the Lord in huge ways. and will never be the same because of it 🙂
5. YOU MAY MEET YOUR HUSBAND (or your best friend): okay, okay. you do not go to camp to meet your future spouse (even though it happens sometimes). but you will meet people you will never forget and i can promise you that! eight people who stood with us at our wedding became people we wanted/ needed in our wedding at camp. the relationships and bonds formed then even before Bruce and i started dating/ thinking about dating! they will be friends that you cry saying goodbye to but you now know that you can travel all over the world staying with people you met there.