Another summer filled
with campers coming to Christ, an amazing staff, lack of sleep and immense
spiritual growth. I’m so excited that the Lord opened up yet another summer
that I get to spend at Camp Gilead. I had no plans to originally work at camp,
because I was graduating from college in May. However the Lord had different
plans and opened the door for me to be here again this summer. I am so excited
to be the girls head counselor and be able to pour into their lives this
summer.
Last week and into this
week we have had staff training. It has been so cool to see how the Lord has
brought an amazing group of people together as a team. Even just last night we
had a chance as just a girl’s college staff to hangout and spend time together.
There is just something about not having the guys around, but just the girls
sharing and being open and honest with one another. It was cool to just have a
time of bonding and building relationships with each other for the summer. We
shared about fears, excitements, perceptions and how we could be a support team
to each other throughout the summer. We shared prayer requests about burdens on
our hearts and prayed for each other. Even after we were done meeting and
praying none of the girls wanted to leave, but we just all hung out laughing
and telling stories to each other late into the night. It was such a blessing to my heart to hear
people share and uplift each other as we chatted about the summer ahead.
One of the biggest things
for a summer of ministry is to have a strong community of people who are there for
one another. Each and every one has different strengths and weaknesses that we
are all able to lean on and utilize as a community. Especially as exhaustion
sets in and spiritual warfare is more prominent it is key to have people
encouraging one another and lifting each other up. It is a beautiful picture of
how each person has a uniquely different personality, but how the Lord puts
together an amazing team to compensate for each other with different strengths
and weaknesses.
I am anticipating an
amazing summer and praying for the Lord to bring many campers to Christ this
summer. I am also excited to pour into the girl staff as the Lord stretches and
grows each one of them this summer. The unity of us as a body to keep each
other accountable and love each other is so important for all us staff as we
pour into many students who will be coming to camp each and every week.
Continue to pray for us
as a staff that the Lord will be working in each of our lives that we will be
able to continue to build a strong community and that the Lord would use each
and every one for his glory this summer as we pour into the lives of the
campers as we share Christ’s love. Pray that the Lord would be working on the
campers hearts who will be coming to Camp this summer and that the Lord will do
amazing things in their lives through their week spent here at summer.
God has some amazing
things planned for the summer and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. I’m stoked
to see all that the Lord will do as he uses all the staff this summer!
Serving an Awesome Savior,
Aimee Parkinson Girls Head Counselor
1 Cor
12:25-27 . . .
.… there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have
equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body
of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Th
5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing.”