Shocking, I know.
Sure, I've been to my fair share of day camps...from horseback riding camps to art camps to theater camps to weeks of Vacation Bible School...my summers were filled with things to keep me busy Monday though Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. But alas, I never went to a sleep-away camp.
Luckily for me, I got to experience this missing piece of adolescence last week in the mountains of central Italy...along with 110 energetic Italian kids, a team of American university students and a group of English teachers.
Throughout this 10-day "English and Fun" camp, I helped teach thirteen 6-year-olds during the three hours of English class each morning and then did games and crafts with rotating groups of all 110 energetic Italian kids in the afternoon. I also had six sweet 11-year-olds in my cabin for "nap time." (Which, let's be honest, no 11-year-old girl in a small room with five of her best friends is going to be interested in sleeping. Or being quiet. I've got to give them credit though...they did try. They attempted to play versions of the Quiet Game that quickly disintegrated into bouts of laughter. Perhaps the most entertaining was when they played Hide and Seek...in a tiny room with six bunk beds. They turned the lights out and closed their eyes and felt around to try to find people and guess who was who. With a running commentary in Italian. Made me laugh.)
We also ate all our meals together. Having never been to camp, I guess I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet good money this was some of the best camp food on the planet. Italians are serious about their food...aside from the skimpy breakfasts of essentially just bread and Nutella every morning, lunch and dinner were three-course affairs.
After dinner, we'd have an hour-long program to wrap up the day. These generally consisted of the Camp Song (Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA" with camp-specific lyrics...which had super cool choreography which I led daily...I don't ever want to hear that song again...But hey the kids LOVED it! Half the camp always wanted to come up to the front to do it with us), kid interviews (opportunities for the kids to practice answering questions in English), and some sort of activity to reinforce that day's theme (some of my favorites were the "human piano" where each kid had to make a difference animal noise when the teacher touched his or her head...also when some of the teachers and staff members pretended to be the Seven Dwarfs on the day we talked about feelings/emotions). Then the overnight campers would watch part of a movie before lights out. And because I didn't have overnight campers in my room, I got to hang out with the other people working at the camp or sometimes just go out on the rooftop terrace to watch the sun set between the surrounding snow-capped mountains or be blown away by the vastness of the star-speckled sky.
But this camp was no cakewalk. It was exhausting and stressful and things went wrong and kids wouldn't listen and my brain hurt from helping kids who spoke no English and Americans who spoke no Italian communicate with each other. And Italian kids are just loud. And they just have more energy than American kids.
But Italian kids are so stinkin' cute. They're beautiful little people. And they are so much more affectionate than American kids. My love tank was overflowing this week with all the hugs and kisses and words of affirmation. I fell in love with so many of these little rascals.
Not only that, but this experience and these children taught me so much.
First of all, they are indeed created in the image of God. They're just so beautiful and precious. Ahh. I can't even.
Secondly, they just want to be loved. And they are so unspoiled by the world insomuch as they can readily accept love. I was reminded of the story of Jesus and the little children (in Matthew, Mark and Luke). The disciples wanted to push them away, but Jesus said, "'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands of them and blessed them." (Mark 10:14-16)
But perhaps what was most glaringly apparent to me (and most convicting for me) was the unavoidable reality of our sinful nature. Sure, some behaviors sprout from family issues or lack of discipline, but we are flat-out born as selfish creatures. And selfishness is at the root of so many sins...from choosing to run off and do your own thing instead of the activity the teacher/counselor has planned or screaming that it isn't fair that the 6-year-old day campers get to shower first after the water-games day or making fun of the pudgiest little girl in your class (all of which happened this week). We want what (we think) is best for us.
And we like attention. Mamma mia. There were these two preteen girls who were literally crying because they each had a crush on a (much older) counselor/staff member who "wasn't paying attention" to them. And they would get pity hugs and special treatment. That is until they kept disappearing and ultimately were sneaking into other campers rooms and prank calling people from their cell phones. It was a bit of a dramatic week.
However, I can't be too hard of them. Because that's me. I see that same desire for attention and affirmation and affection in myself. Maybe I don't act on those tendencies the same way, but I know those are the things I struggle with too. It is only the grace of God that saves me from myself.
On top of all these things God taught me this week, He also allowed me to connect with some amazing people. From the directors of the English Camp (who I already knew a bit but got to know much better) to the American students to staff members I had the pleasure of talking to, laughing with and working alongside, it was truly a joy to make so many new friends. And just to experience the Body of Christ in this way (though it was an English Camp, it was held at an Evangelical Center, so all the workers were Christian volunteers). I mean, I had only known these people for a few days and I was already having deep conversations and making hilarious memories with them. I love that. I love that when you're with a group of people whose identity is in Christ...well, you have the most important thing in common. And you're family. And it's such a blessing.
And one last thing: God has just been bowling me over with his beauty lately. I cannot describe the sunsets or the view from the mountaintop on our excursion day (and the pictures hardly do it justice but I'll include them anyway). I just don't see how people could look upon such beauty and not think there had to have been a Creator. This couldn't have all just happened. Or maybe they're looking but they're not seeing. They're not savoring. Not enjoying it. ("Taste and see that the Lord is good." -Psalm 34:8) Or perhaps they're enjoying the gift more than the Gift-Giver.
I'm reminded of a Tim Keller quote, and I'll end with this: "Religious people find God useful. Christians find God beautiful."
May we never consider Him simply useful or worse, entirely nonexistent. He IS, and he is not just a means to an end. He is Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend.
God, you are so beautiful.
