Michael did not anticipate working at Camp Asbury this summer. His plans were to either jump into the manufacturing work force that he went to school for or to hang out with friends. Spending his time at Asbury never crossed his mind until he was here for Institute’s Mid-Winter Retreat. Michael is no stranger to Institute, he had been coming for a while, but at Mid-Winter this year he was approached by Dylan, one of Institutes leaders and a member of Camp Asbury’s Year-Round staff. “Dylan and I were talking,” Michael recollected, “and he found out that I didn’t have much planned for the summer. So, he handed me an application and said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’” Michael took the application and didn’t think much more about it. But Dylan knew Michael and had a feeling he would get a lot from his experience at camp, and kept reminding him to give it a shot, so Michael decided to take a leap.
From the moment he submitted his application, Michael knew he had made the right decision. He found himself excited with the new prospect laid out before him for the summer and to be on the other side of the camper/counselor experience. That excitement grew as the summer season got closer and closer and then Michael was able to finally make his trek to Asbury, to start this new journey. And what a journey it has been for him. “I didn’t know what to expect from the summer, I had been a camper here once before, but otherwise I was coming in unsure of what I was getting into. I did not expect to be as interactive with the campers. I thought, yeah, I’ll play a couple games with them, have fun, laugh a lot, but I never expected to build relationships with my campers like I have the last couple of weeks. It’s been very fulfilling. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and they have learned so much about themselves along the way.”
Michael has been seeing the impact that camp has had on his campers’ lives week after week, and often talks about that with the Directors and other staff. “It’s very humbling being on the other side of camp. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes and knowing what goes into making camp so fun for the campers, because I had only ever seen it from the visitor’s side. Now I’m here to help make sure everything goes smoothly, make sure everything is fun. So, it’s very humbling being on this side, realizing how much goes into making camp, camp.”
His time as a counselor this summer opened Michael’s eyes to new qualities about himself that he did not know he had. He’s learned the value of patience, both needing to work on his, but also that he possesses more than he gives himself credit for. He learned how to check in with himself so as not to push himself past his limits. But he also reconnected with himself on a spiritual level that he was not anticipating. “Being here in a very spiritually enriched environment all of the time helped me realize that I was missing this in my life. I needed this a lot more in my life than I thought I did. It has helped me kickstart revamping efforts in my life to stay more spiritually positive. I want to try and incorporate God more in my life then just going to church every Sunday.”
Michael knows this summer has had a life-changing impact on him, and it is something he will treasure. Although he doesn’t know what’s next, he is already discussing the possibility of coming back at least to volunteer at Camp Asbury for a week next summer. But for the time being he is going to hold his experiences, the relationships and bonds he has formed near to his heart and carry the lessons he has learned at camp with him saying, “I want to take the general positivity and good mentality of being here and keep that up once I leave this place. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to come out here this summer.”
It’s thanks to people like you that Camp Asbury can provide experiences like the one Michael describes year after year and create an environment that is “spiritually enriched”. Your continued generosity and gifts allow us to bring on staff and dedicate time and resources to creating a positive impact on the lives of our campers and staff every year.