What started as a simple internet search for “summer jobs near me” turned into an experience that would shape and work through Sammi’s life in ways she never could have imagined. Sammi stumbled upon Camp Asbury by pure happenstance. Even though it was just minutes from the home she grew up in, she hadn’t really known it existed. She was simply looking for a summer job, but as she was doing research into more about Asbury, something about it felt right, like it was where she was meant to be.
And that instinct couldn’t have been truer. From her very first summer, Sammi felt a deep connection to Asbury. “Camp was something I needed,” she reflects. Sammi had grown up attending church and had an idea of what her faith was, but it was at camp where that faith came alive, where it became her own. Camp was where she discovered that a relationship with God could be real and evolving outside of a church building. Through Asbury’s diverse faith practices, Sammi encountered new ways to connect with God through breath prayers, quiet time and journaling. She found that she could find God on a walk through the woods, in the laugher of a skit around the campfire, or in songs sung together as a community. “Camp is so unique, and large and beautiful that it naturally creates these moments where nature shows you God’s work, like in the mist rising on the lake. That has always stuck out to me and made me feel close to God.”
During her second summer, Sammi reaffirmed her baptism in Lake Hibbard, a moment that remains etched in her memory. “I feel such a strong connection to this place, and that moment stands out for me. Being surrounded by staff, that support, and feeling affirmed in that decision and my relationship with God. It was special.”
Throughout her summers on staff, Sammi felt camp working in her life, shaping her confidence, her calling, and her sense of purpose. “I found different aspects of myself to use here, and it felt like there was always a place for me.” What began as a summer job became a calling. Sammi moved from summer staff to year-round staff, serving first as Assistant Director and later as Camp Director. With those roles came new, heartwarming perspectives. She began to see how Asbury’s ministry extended far beyond the summer months, how lives were changed here all year long. “The longer I was here, leading staff, working with groups, the more I could feel my confidence grow. The more I could feel God working in me and through me. Getting to take time to connect with people and be an active participant in this place was so important. This place has brought out poetry in me.”
Though Sammi has since moved on from her role as Director, her bond with Camp Asbury remains strong. She often visits, participates in Family Camp, helps on the ropes course, and stays deeply connected to the community that shaped her. Camp’s impact continues to ripple through her daily life, “The biggest changes I see in myself that I owe to camp every day are how I am able to listen to God, the growth in my confidence and being ready to lead and guide.” Sammi knows firsthand how vital places like Asbury are for herself and for others. “Places like this are not accessible or easy to come by. Just knowing how my body and mind react to being here. Everybody needs a place like this in their lives. Having witnessed sunrises here, knowing what it feels like before and after a storm. We need places that continue to bring us outside and to connect with creation.” Camp Asbury has been more than just a workplace for Sammi, it’s been sacred ground, a place of growth, faith and belonging. And though her journey has led her down new paths, her heart remains forever rooted in the quiet beauty and community of Camp Asbury.