Words

What to say…

It is an interesting dilemma to face at any time, but especially when you are a first year counselor. We (counselors) face it every day during the summer. Every waking moment, there are little faces turned toward us in eager anticipation of what we will say or do next. From Reveille to Taps, dawn to dusk; we are watched and listened to.

I have never made this point in an update and for the life of me I don’t know why not. It is a curious fact, for in “real life” hardly anyone pays attention to any of us but at camp… we are VIP’s with remarkable impact.

Counselors don’t think of themselves in this way before arriving at camp. Sure, they have completed a year or two of college and are officially considered “adults” by our government… but they also are still on their parent’s insurance plan and expect that those same parents will cover their college bills. They have been successful and are often very popular, but not celebrities. It “feels funny” to have so much power all of a sudden… to have so much responsibility for every word and deed.

Here we learn that even small words and simple acts have power.

Every word matters, for every word will have an impact. Campers will bask in the glow of a simple compliment; they will also be crushed by an irritated rebuke. We drill this fact into the counselors during orientation, but they don’t really “get it” until the campers arrive and the heavy cloak of a hero is draped upon their unsuspecting shoulders. In case you did not know it… campers adore their counselors.

Celebrities know this burden. Powerful business & political leaders know it as well; but the famous of society accept this responsibility as a natural extension of their place in the world. Such attention comes as a shock to the counselors. It is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time… it makes you feel like a rock star at first, but many find it tiresome after a week or so.

We help the counselors make the most of their newfound power. One one of the most important lessons comes from coaching them on how to handle key group moments. We role-play meeting new campers, we specifically ban a detailed list of “bad words” (at camp such words as “stupid” and “shut up” are not to be used), and we provide the counselors FANTASTIC resources for nightly cabin devotions.

Every night the cabin counselors have to come up with a 5 minute devotion to close the day. This is daunting… you can imagine how much of a challenge this can be. This summer we asked Heather Holleman (former counselor current professor, minister’s wife, and mom who wrote Why We Come ) and Margaret Ann Speakman (former counselor current minister’s wife and mom) write some devotions specifically for the counselors to share with their girls. One is a series of studies that go with the Jesus Storybook Bible . The other is entitled “28 Things You Need to Know”, little 1 page pearls of wisdom that are perfect for camp. We have always provided a whole wall of devotion books for the counselors to use… but these two little resources are fantastic for this setting.

I have gone on too long… but I want you to know SO MUCH about this place. The details comprise your daughter’s experience.

On to the daily details: Breakfast was bacon and eggs, Lunch is Pot Roast, Dinner is Baked Potato Bar. I hope to go to glass beads for some photographs… if I can ever get out of the office! Better wrap this up.

Jimboy

PS… The Joke: A guy walks into a bar, and sits down at the bar. He orders a drink, and notices the bar is completely empty. So he’s sipping his drink, when suddenly he hears a voice. “Hey, nice haircut.” He looks around in confusion. Having seen nobody but the bartender, he simply shrugs and figures he’s imagining it. Then, “Hey, nice shirt!” He gets more freaked out, and calls the bartender over. “Do you hear those voices?” “What voices? I don’t hear anything. What were they saying?” “One said ‘nice haircut’, and one said ‘nice shirt’.” “Oh, those are the peanuts. They’re complimentary.