Faith, Hope, Love and Summer!

So I promised to tell you all what I’m up to here at Faholo Camp. Here is the promised update!

For those of you who don’t know, this summer I’m working at a camp called Faholo (which is the first two letters of Faith, Hope, and Love) in Grass Lake, MI. It is the camp that the Assembly of God kids in Michigan come to every summer for kids’ camp, Junior High camp and Senior High camp. We also have a ton of independent groups come out, rent out the buildings and participate in activities. The place is always moving and changing.

I found out about working here through my former youth pastor, Jason Buchan. Jason worked at Evangel Temple (now Evangel Church) in Kansas City, MO. I was in his youth group for a year before I moved to Ohio. This spring, I applied to work at Faholo because Jason is the staff director here this summer. After considering it and applying for a bunch of other jobs, I felt like this was the job I was supposed to work. I’m here for 8 weeks working on camp staff.

I arrived here early last Saturday evening. I moved into one of the staff cabins (I since switched cabins, but that’s a different story), and mom stayed the night on my couch before heading back to Mt. Vernon the next day. I am so pumped because I have my car here! I feel pretty independent :)

Every day since the first week, the team has gotten up and gone to breakfast in the Dining Hall before 8 a.m. It was training week, so we got dumped into all the processes of the camp. I am now more or less officially trained to:

·         Help with housekeeping for the hotel-like rooms in the lodge,

·         Tie knots, belay, and guide guests through the ropes course and climbing wall,

·         Be a lifeguard at the waterfront, indoor pool or outdoor pool,

·         Clean all the pools,

·         Do CPR, First Aid, and use an AED,

·         And do whatever needs to be done!

I have a roommate named Shana and I live in a cabin called “Log A”. It is….well, unique. It has lots of little quirks. For instance, you have to grab on to the light bulb with a cloth to twist it on and off in the bathroom because there is no light switch. I have a sheet tacked up over the window for privacy. (I guess the blinds on that window are no more? The other window has them still...) We have a refrigerator…. Actually it is two mini refrigerators stacked up on top of each other. I have to wiggle the house key approximately three hard shakes to get my front door open. I killed 4 spiders the first night. You get the idea. It is nice to have my own place though, and it’s worked just fine for me so far.

We have an interesting gang up here on camp staff. The first day of training, we played the name game, where you have to say your name, something you like, and something you dislike. Then you have to remember all the people before you. “Hi, my name is Laura. I like making connections with people and I dislike long, dark hallways. That’s Shealee; she likes gummy bears and dislikes conflict. She’s Megan, she likes singing and hates spiders…..etc.” It’s hard! But it really helped me learn the names of my whole gang pretty quickly. I ran into a girl up here who was at a scholarship competition with me last year. It took us a while to figure out how we knew each other, but once we did it was really cool that we made that connection. I am also learning the game euchre, which is a card game that apparently everyone in Michigan knows. It is a fun game and I am getting the hang of it, but I am sorely outnumbered by tricky experts.

Since I received my lifeguard training and certification, I have worked pretty much every day at the waterfront or the pool. I like working as a lifeguard and I have learned a lot so far. Do you have any idea how much fun it is to watch people? Junior high-ers are the funniest :) Oh, and I like working the blob. Lifeguarding is also more fun when people actually show up to swim or do their activity, but oh well.

The scenery out here is so beautiful! The sunsets over the lake are some of my favorites. The other day I just enjoyed staring out at the lake (mostly because pretty much no one showed up for waterfront while I was lifeguarding that day). As I looked, there were little bluegills, minnows, and other fish darting through the water. Water lilies floated among the lily pads off to my left. Some large white birds—presumably swans—glided off in the distance as the sun glinted off the water.

Here at camp, bedtime is earlier than I’ve had it for a long time. We have to be in our cabins by 10:30 p.m. with the lights out by 11 p.m. It’s a good thing, too, because we get up pretty early (beginning today breakfast is served at 7:30, be there or be square). It has taken some getting used to, but I have adjusted to this revised schedule pretty quickly. With all the activity during the day, trust me—I have no problem sleeping at night!

When a group leaves, we have to get their areas ready for our next guests. This is affectionately referred to as “turnover” and takes all our energy as a combined team to pull it off. The other day, during our first turnover, I cleaned enough bathrooms to last my house a few weeks!

I don’t know why all God brought me here for the summer. However, I do feel like it is the right place for me and the experience and training I have received and will receive is so incredibly valuable. My confidence in myself, others, and God is increasing and I am growing in my independence as a young adult and my dependence on God. I am pumped for the services during children’s’ and teen’s camps. Such powerful moving of the Spirit and amazing changes in peoples’ lives happen during camp. You know, this summer marks two years since I was at camp and God filled me with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I am open to what God has for me this year. I am seeking his presence and his guidance in my life. And I am having fun! What more could a girl ask from a summer job?!

God is good. I fail, mess up, do stupid things, and make mistakes. But for these 8 weeks He has brought me to this place of “Faith, Hope and Love” and, even through my failings, I am serving and learning here in a way that is bigger than myself. Stay tuned for more adventures…they’re coming, I can guarantee it!

If you want to send me mail while I am at camp, here is my address:

Faholo Camp and Conference Center

Attn: Laura Roller

3000 Mt. Hope Road

Grass Lake, MI

What are you doing this summer? I want to hear about it! Comment on my blog, Facebook me, send me a letter, shoot me a text….let me know what you’re up to and what God is doing in your life. My prayer is that He blesses you and when we meet again we will both be stronger and more joyful people because of Him. Blessings friends! Enjoy your summer :)