Camp benefits are many, for the child, the parents, and the community. Those benefits do not omit the benefit for those operating a camp. For every Camp Leader, many benefits would be the same, yet different. Some include:
1. Discovery.. Discovering a worthwhile purpose in life-Serving
others.
2. Meeting Challenges beyond anything imaginable.
3. Using every Talent possessed and cultivating more..
4. Variety in every day..no day is ever the same.
5. Fulfillment ..plans manifested in completion and enjoyed by
others.
6. The Privilege of working with every age level of people..
child, parents, grandparents, youth, and college students.
7. Provision of rewarding events at the camp facility for families.
8. Perseverance gained from demanding needs and requirements.
9. Healthy bodies, constantly moving, motivated to keep going!
10. Outdoor work in a new frame of sky and earth…new energy.
11. Multi tasking offered creative and new opportunities.
12. New skills were developed as every area of life was a part of
camping and every situation had to be met, often immediately.
13. Appreciation of “thank yous” from those attending with a
renewal of how very much an expressed appreciation can
mean to others.
14. Sleeping well every night, a gift of active days.
15. Meeting many new people each year and renewing the faithful
supporters of often seven or more years …often families
with as many as four children, attending through the years.
16. Sharing camp life with the elderly. Mrs. WPW’s Mother
lived with them for ten or more years. Daily she went to
camp with them, assisting in many tasks. She was most known
for making gem bags for campers and sharing in their
stories and songs as they visited. She entered her heavenly
home July 18, 2013, at age 98, having attended camp the
previous day. Known and loved as Grandmother Whip-Poor-
Will, it was a very great benefit and privilege to everyone to take
her to work with us each day.
17. Integrity that can exist when you have your own Business.
18. Husband and Wife Team enabled a recognition and
appreciation of new and different abilities, interests, talents,
and support for each other. Celebration of any accomplishments
occurring, because of working together, was always a double
joy.
19.. Happiness is not a by-product of every job. But it would
be difficult to work with children without receiving this
benefit. Smiles, laughter, trust, joy, enthusiasm, appreciation,
in the sunlight of summer brings happiness to those serving.
20. Income provided for work, while a must for survival,
reminds us of the blessings of job enjoyment that has
surely exceeded the income. Being thankful for daily
bread provided by enjoyable work is a cause for true
thanksgiving.
21. The spiritual growth that can occur when seeking to serve
others through the ministry of a job is one of the greatest
benefits. If you have never prayed, if you have never trusted
God for His watch care over those you serve, you really should
begin a Camp. Your faith will either begin or grow. The need
for power, strength, wisdom, protection to provide for little
children and to send them safe and happy back to their homes,
will indeed teach you to pray and to trust God for this and
more. Working with children need people who pray. In turn
spiritual growth comes to us all.
Today we still often pray for the campers of the yesterdays,
for their safety, for the hopeful growth of some seed planted
by a loving counselor that might enrich their lives. Then our
work will not have been in vain.
Jesus said, …“Let the little children come to me, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
–Mark 10:14,16
Indeed it was a privilege to have worked with children.
