Back to Camp

I almost forgot what it was like to be a teenage girl. True, it has been quite a while. That reminds me of the upcoming class reunion I should help plan. No reason to say how many years.

Anyway, I spent a week this summer at camp, staying in the dorms with girls ranging in age from seven to 19. What an experience!

I used to say that girls are mean, especially teenage girls. They like to fight constantly. They like to judge one another. They rarely forgive, and never forget. I had to change my opinion.

The girls at this church camp were exceptional. Each age group helped the ones younger than it. They showed compassion on those who had less. They demonstrated patience with those whose mannerisms weren’t always suitable. And, most importantly, they requested forgiveness openly when they had frustrated one another.

The first camp rule was respect. One word. Simply stated. We should live each day of our lives with this as the number one rule to follow. Respect each other and each other’s belongings.

Any problems that resulted during camp were first sent through a mentor. All younger boys and girls had older teens to serve as their mentors. Talk about role models. If a problem needed to go beyond that mentor, it went before the entire camp.
It could have been as simple as cutting line on multiple occasions. As one teenage boy discovered, it resulted in an apology to the entire camp ... and the opportunity to lead worship circle that night.

Other apologies came from smacking someone when they wouldn’t listen, or threatening to stab someone’s hand at dinnertime with a fork. Of course, some were in jest but the idea was sincere. If in any way I have hurt your feelings, I apologize. If in any way I have publicly or even privately embarrassed you, I apologize. If we simply had a misunderstanding, I apologize.

Why do we find it so hard to say we are sorry or to admit that we are wrong? I saw the benefits of it last week. I saw masses of youth flock to an altar to say the same to God. The result was beautiful.

No, we are not perfect. Yes, we may hurt someone’s feelings each day. That is no reason to become calloused to our actions. It is not a permission slip to just keep on doing it because it is too late to stop now.

It is never too late to change. It is never too late to ask for forgiveness. It produces a refreshing attitude that one just has to share with others.

While I had little sleep last week, I didn’t even feel tired. The enthusiasm of the activities and the learning that was involved in this camp provided enough momentum to allow me to be fully energized.

I spent hours studying so I could teach others. The greatest lessons, however, were shown to me by those who some would have thought knew the least. We can learn so much in humility. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to serve these youth and maybe teach them a thing or two along the way. I can guarantee you that they taught me so much more.