I'm twenty years old, and I've still considered myself to be a "teenager"...up until a few weeks ago. A lot has happened the past few weeks that have made me realize how old I am...not like the "omg I'm so old" old, but the "i really can't believe how fast time is flying by" old. I do my own laundry, I buy most of my clothes, I basically live away from home, I have a job, and I drive a car. I'm not fully on my own yet, thank God because I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do when Mom and Dad let me be free in the real world...I've been doing a good job lately just not thinking about it. This summer has already taught me what a big maturity gap lies between a twenty year old and an eighteen year old. Number wise, sure it's only two years. Maturity, however, is weighed entirely on a different scale. I've begun to call my cabin Kanuga High because of all the drama that has ensued within the past few weeks. The staff housing here is divided by sex and by age; I live in the under 21 girls cabin, which complicates things because that means that I live with all of my counselors. Because it is still conference period, we are working solid 12 hour days, going back to our cabin and spending more time with each other. It's seriously almost becoming to much sometimes. Granted, they are really fun and really good girls. There's just something I forgot about being a teenager...they're boy crazy. Seriously. And in addition to the boy craziness, a few of the girls are just now having the freedom from mom and dad because they either haven't been to college yet or have only been there for a year, so they're still in the "wild and crazy freshman" mindset. I had to take a minute and refresh my memory of what that first few months on my own were like and it really hit me why these girls are acting the way they are. Being away from home is fun and exciting and new. This would be perfectly okay if one thing were different. You see, they haven't hired an RA for my cabin yet, which means curfew isn't enforced and staff activities haven't really started. So at night, all the girls have to do is go to the boys cabin. Hopefully, as the staff directors are hired things will get better. This past week, I had to learn how to put on my Director hat and leave the Friend hat hanging by the door. My girls did a few things that earned them what my mom likes to call a "Come to Jesus meeting". I quickly learned how difficult it is to lay down the law and keep the director hat on even when it's easier to toss it away and keep the friend hat on...it's much more comfortable after all. However, in the end it all worked out well. I finally got to take the director hat off for a little while and the girls have settled down and become a little less sassy...turns out I'm not the only Diva working at camp this summer. Here's to hoping that I'll have many more hats to adorn the top of my head this summer...I'm thinking rock climber or maybe potentially super hero? We'll see.
God has really been teaching me a lot here. I truly think He's put me here to show these girls His grace and his love, because I remember how freeing it was when someone told me that I shouldn't look for my prince charming on this Earth because I already have one in heaven waiting on me. I truly think that if the girls here can see that and stop relying on the boys here to satisfy them, things would go over a lot smoother. I have been praying really hard that God uses me to my full potential this summer and allows me to be an effective leader while at the same time showing these girls the love and grace of God. In addition, being away from Chad and my family has also taught me how important it is to have that relationship with God. Phone calls have been pretty rare and when they happen they don't last very long. No one has written me letters or sent me packages (GET ON IT!) so I've had a lot of time to myself, which has been very freeing. I've had the time to have those serious conversations with God that I don't always want to have and He's definitely been showing me how to be a positive moral influence on the life of the girls and children I'm working with.
Next week we have 30 kids already registered for Children's Program. THIRTY KIDS. holy madness. We haven't had more than like 7 since we've been here so it's going to be craziness. I CAN'T WAIT! I am so excited about relaxing and potentially waterfall hopping this weekend if the weather is nice. I will let you know how that all goes...here's to hoping for no broken bones, and a sane mind by this time next week!!
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