Summer Camp was one of those things I missed out on when I was a youngster. I went to one week of camp and I think it was in-between my 5th and 6th grade years. I went to a music camp at Epworth Springs (it was Methodist, in case you couldn’t tell by the name) and we put on a musical about Jesus feeding the thousands.
But that’s really the only experience I have with summer camps. I have cousins who always rave about their time at Boy Scout camp, and I was always a little jealous, but when you grow up in a family where money was always tight and you have a twin sister with whom you must do everything, summer camps were NOT in the budget.
Last year, I got wrangled into being the dorm mom at a summer camp for 5th and 6th graders. It was a lot of fun, but, as we all know, my passion lies with working with Jr. High students, so this year I opted to go to Jr. High camp instead. From Sunday Afternoon-Friday Evening I was at LSCA in Springfield, IL. I had to still work on Monday and Tuesday, and since it was a Chemo week for my sister, I left camp a couple of times, but for the majority of the week I was at the camp with the 118 Jr. High kids that chose to attend camp that week.
And let me tell you, it was an experience. There were definitely times when I felt out of place (who knew that riding a broom around a room was a “normal” camp thing?) and there were times when I was blown away by how God shows up at these things (Cross Walk? Baptisms? Great!). But what I really learned this past week was this:
- 12 and 13 year olds can hurt the feelings of a 27 year old just as easily as they could when said woman was 12 and 13.
- A lot of things have changed since I was in Jr. High, but the core of who people are and the core of the emotions and feelings that affect a Jr. High girl, have not.
- Sometimes the maturity of Jr. High kids astounds me. They can act like either 5 year olds or 25 year olds. And those really mature moments? They’re totally worth the disproportionate number of immature moments.
This summer has been a hard time for me in ministry. Because of things going on in my family I’ve felt angry and rebellious. And I’ve not been good at leaving those feelings as feelings; I’ve made some poor choices and participated in some activities that are not even close to God-Honoring because of them. But this week was really good for me, personally. I love these girls (and guys) so much. Even when they’re being hurtful and petty and, well, Jr. High kids, there is such potential in them. They have the potential to make the right choices. Because the majority of choices made by Jr. High kids are made so that they feel they are loved, accepted, and included.
And how is that any different from me?
I’ve been looking for my love, acceptance and inclusion in all the wrong places, in places I would feel so hurt if a Jr. High girl looked. So why haven’t I been able to hurt for myself?
I’ve decided that life doesn’t ever get any more complicated than Jr. High. Yes, the complications change. As we grow up, the things we have to deal with grow up, too. But the feelings and emotions and underlying awkwardness and desires we all start developing in Jr. High? THAT’S complicated, and I don’t think those change much. As we mature we can choose to make decisions based on more than what rages just under the surface, but there will always remain within us that Jr. High child who wants to make choices based on the need for love, the need for acceptance, the need to feel valued and included.
And so, Summer Camp is over, but the truth I discover every time I live life with Jr. High students remains: Jr. High students teach me more than I can ever hope to teach them.
