Though, as I previously explained, dealing with naughty children can be quite draining, but never the less, I hope I did not give the impression that I did not/do not LOVE those children.
They are all still my girls, and it is still my mission to show love to each of them.
I am thankful for this job. It is such a blessing, one that I often take for granted.
Each bunk will inevitably have some issues, but I don’t want to forget about all the good things that happened and will happen.
In the past two sessions I have been blessed to see even more live evidence of good things and experience an extra dose of what I call “sweet stuff”. I have a lot to smile about.
Let’s start with Session Three.
1. Only Twelve
Thirteen girls (which is a full bunk) narrowed down to twelve when one girl switched bunks to be with her sister. The bed above me became vacant and free from a precious squirmy mattress above. This definitely deserves a hallelujah.
2. Mail
I was just doing my duty, passing out the mail one day to my girls when I find a letter addressed to me. I don’t recognize the name at first, and then it hits, and my heart melts. One of my girls, Bithia, from the difficult session before had taken the time to send crazy Miss Melody a full page of sweetness along with a small drawing that I will be keeping forever. What a reward.
3. Isabella
Let’s just say this dynamite seven year old is my official sidekick and kid mother. Though I was the one taking care of her, especially when it came to finding anything in her suitcase, (because everything was usually found under the bed) she still took it upon herself to be my own caretaker at times.
Example: My nose was stuffy.
“Do you need a Kleenex Miss Melody?”
“Oh, it’s ok Isabella, I will get it, thank you.”
(She hands me a Kleenex before I can grab one and sits promptly next to me on the bed)
“Thank you Isabella, I am going to blow my nose now though, so you might want to get off the bed”
(While patting my back) “It’s ok Miss Melody, just let it all out.”
What a sweetie. Additionally, I always received cups of water from the station and refills to follow during the activities to “keep me healthy”. The list goes on.
4. Tip
In my past two years of counseling I never once received a tip from a sponsor, but this year, it seems the adults came ready to bless. It is completely unnecessary, and never once is it advised or even encouraged by the heads of Dry Gulch, but I did really appreciate it. Funny enough, the sponsors from this session never really came by to hang out with our bunk much, and even funnier, they put “To Miss Emily, our bunk 4 counselor” on the card. EMILY. Oh how that make me chuckle. Well, they may not have known my name, but they did know how to shower me with a blessing.
5. Group Hug
During the goodbye segment we have after chapel is over, I was blissfully trapped in the hug that grew from one girl saying “I’m never letting go of you!” to the rest of my girls gathering around. I was literally un-moveable. It was so sweet.
Moving to Session Four and continuing the list
6. Bunk 13
I have always longed to be a counselor in bunk 13 because it is probably the most recently re-done out of all the girl bunks. Newly tiled floors in the bathroom, great counter tops and showers, new floors, tons of floor space, and huge windows with red curtains that match my bedding perfectly. Amen to that.
7. No Morning Medicine
You have no idea how nice it is when you don’t have to worry about getting medicine in the morning. Then we actually have TIME after breakfast. Time for sunscreen or a game and for my personal favorite, a devotional.
8. Packages
During this session I received two packages. One was my new red toms, which was a surprise; because I wasn’t expecting them until much later (it only took them TWO days to ship!). I love them very much, which is good because I will be wearing them ALL the time since they go perfectly with our staff shirts. I also received my new camera that my parents graciously picked out and shipped to me so that I do not have to deal with horrible image quality. I’m using that constantly as well.
Here is a bunk photo that you can actually SEE
9. Olay
This time my bunk won “The Golden Sombrero” two out of the three possible days. This guaranteed us the ice cream party and some extra excitement for the girls. I just loved watching their faces when the winner was announced; they went C-R-A-Z-Y.
Also, we decorated it with some dead flowers from the pool one day (still with the bad camera)
And now last, and most importantly, a combined fact from both sessions
10. Salvations
In both bunks combined, I had the great privilege of praying the prayer of salvation with seven girls. This isn’t mentioning the re-dedications either. These girls made me so excited, because they all knew about Jesus, but they were legitimate when I asked if they had ever prayed that prayer to let Jesus in before.
(When I was a kid, I used to just always raise my hand, so I try to make sure they aren’t praying it for the 8th time, and if they are, then I just talk to them about why they don’t have to do it again, but if they still want to do it, it just counts as a rededication)
Many of these girls just didn’t get to church very often, so camp is one of the only times they really experience God. It was such a beautiful experience.
In particular, I loved praying with a girl named Alexis, because when I told her she would be going to heaven after we prayed to accept Jesus, her entire face lit up and she gave me the biggest smile in the world. “Oh yay yay yay! Heaven!” was the next thing she said.
It was precious.
Again, I am very blessed.
Oh, and I should mention that this session I will be a counselor in Bunk 9, the bunk I happily stayed in two years in a row as a little camper.
Isn’t that sweet?
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