By Virginia Lee Brothers and sisters are a common occurrence at Shrine Mont Camps, as campers, and also as counselors. Below are interviews with siblings from three families at camp, each with their own unique experiences and stories about being with their brothers and sisters at camp. A CAmper and a Counselor; One CampJenni Logan was a lifetime camper at MAD (Music and Drama) Camp and Art Camp. She always wanted to be a counselor, and now works at both of the camps she once attended. She’s what we at Shrine Mont Camps call a “lifer.” Jenni explained that she wanted to be a counselor because she felt it was important to give back to the place that meant so much to her. “I felt like my counselors had given me so much over the years. I wanted to do the same for the next generation.”
Shrine Mont is also a place for spiritual growth. Jenni certainly developed and explored her spirituality at camp, and it’s been particularly meaningful for her to see Will do the same. Jenni says, “It’s so cool getting to know him in a different way…to see how he sees faith and how he connects to God, and what his sense of spirituality is. It opens up the conversation for both of us to think and talk about it together.” Overall, Jenni feels that her and Will’s joint experience at camp has affected their relationship in a big way. “It’s a shared experience that no one else in the family has, which makes it special. Two Campers and a Counselor; Three campsSometimes it’s not a particular camp that brings siblings to the mountain together, but Shrine Mont Camps overall. Taylor Hawks is a MAD Camp counselor, but her younger siblings, Conner and Ainsley, attended St. Sebastian’s Sports Camp and St. George’s Camp respectively. Taylor’s strong connection with camp and Shrine Mont was a significant factor in her siblings joining the camp family. “When I started working for Shrine Mont, Conner wasn't that into camp. When I heard of Sports Camp, I thought it would be the perfect fit… I think it helps that I'm working here, because it's like a familiar face when going into a new environment. Ainsley was wary at first for starting at St. George's, but it helped that everyone on the mountain knew me and immediately made her feel at home too… I think they eventually decided that they wanted to have as much fun as I do when I'm here during the summer.” It can be hard to be a counselor when your siblings are campers though. Taylor explained, “There are always some challenges like, not knowing if you should act the same way with your siblings as you would a camper.” Overall though, Taylor said seeing Ainsley and Conner at camp was great for her. “All in all, seeing them there on the mountain made the summer a little better when the days seemed to never end.” These meaningful moments didn’t end when Ainsley and Conner left mountain. The joy and love of Shrine Mont followed the Hawks siblings off the mountain. Taylor explained, “I think our relationships have deepened a little since being on the mount. I hope that it will continue to blossom into our daily lives.” Three Counselors; Three CampsThe most unique examples of camp siblings this summer are identical twins Xolile and Xoli. They, and their older sister Lindelwa, were a rare trio of siblings on the Mount this summer. These three counselors came all the way from South Africa in an exchange program with Camp Christ the King (CTK). Their intention was to come to Shrine Mont Camps and learn about the camp program in order to glean inspirations and ideas that could be used at camp CTK. While they all worked at different camps, Lindelwa, Xoli, and Xolile all came with the intention to learn how to improve camp CTK by observing practices at Shrine Mont Camps. However, each sibling had different jobs to do and had different experiences as a result. Throughout the entire summer, they've helped each other process and cope with the new and challenging experience of traveling to another country.
Coming to camp for the first time, be it as a counselor or as a camper, can be scary. It’s a new environment full of people who already know each other and who are fully immersed in camp life. It can be hard, and even isolating, for your first couple days. First-time campers and counselors who come with siblings often adjust faster and more positively than those who come alone. Lindelwa, Xoli, and Xolile and were no exception.
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By the Rev. Carmen Germino The theme for St. Elizabeth’s Camp this summer is…the Olympics! Campers and counselors are split into teams representing various countries, cabins are decorated with flags, and the first night of camp involved an epic Opening Ceremonies complete with an Olympic torch symbolizing the Holy Spirit. I can attest that the Holy Spirit is present at St. E’s this week both symbolically and literally. As chaplain, part of my job is to make sure our counselors have a chance to explore the idea that this is more than just a fun summer gig or a résumé builder. As they befriend and care for our campers with special needs, I hope that each one of them might understand their time at St. E’s as a ministry to which they have been called by God. So before campers arrive, one thing we do to emphasize that sense of “Call” is to have a service of commissioning. Some of the counselor buddies have only ever been campers before, so it is especially important for them to have a tangible experience to mark their transition into their new roles. We had planned to hold the Commissioning at the Shrine, but with a heat index of 107 and the Shrine in full sun at the appointed hour, we moved to an indoor location. Under the fluorescent lights of Chilton, with the hum of the under-performing window unit air conditioner in the background, we came together to sing, pray, and reflect on God’s Word. And the Holy Spirit showed up too. During the service, we read the story about Jesus’ trip back home to Nazareth after his public ministry began. If you recall, it didn’t go so well. The townspeople of Nazareth had known Jesus as a baby. Maybe they helped change his diapers. They had seen him as a toddler. They watched him leave childhood behind and become an adolescent. Maybe they had seen him with acne. They had probably watched him go through his awkward phase and then his rebellious phase. They had watched him grow up. And so when they asked, “Is this not the carpenter?” what they were really asking was, “Who does he think he is?” To the people of Nazareth, Jesus just looked like a local blue collar boy who’d gone off and gotten a big head instead of settling down and marrying a nice Jewish girl. The residents of Nazareth already had an understanding of who Jesus was, and they could not see beyond it. They missed out on so much because they greeted him with closed minds and hard hearts and crossed arms. In our commissioning, we talked about how it is important to avoid the mentality of the people of Nazareth when they reject Jesus. If we approach our fellow staff or our campers with too many preconceived notions or expectations, we might miss out on some really amazing surprises. We might accidentally reject Christ, too. So this week, instead of crossed arms, we’re practicing another posture. We’re taking our inspiration from the Olympic host country’s most famous landmark, the Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 98-foot Christ the Redeemer statue towers over the city with arms outstretched in a posture of hospitality, openness, unconditional love, and vulnerability. It is the posture of Jesus welcoming the little children. It is the posture of the father waiting to embrace his prodigal son who has returned home. It is the posture of Jesus on the cross. Together, the whole St. Elizabeth’s staff spread our arms wide like Christ the Redeemer, to practice the posture that will guide us throughout camp and beyond. And the Holy Spirit was surely present. By Virginia Lee Explorer’s Session I embraced the outdoors and explored God’s creation this session. Campers hiked to Seven Springs and the Cross, and canoed in Lake Laura. Some top notch Evening Programs included Camp Olympics, a pool party, and paint twister. Explorer’s campers and counselors also showed off their awesome dance moves at their dance. In Chaplain’s time, campers practiced yoga and learn about worshiping wherever they are. Campers even created a table cover with the image of a mandala, which was disassembled and distributed amongst the campers. It was an amazing week full of God and nature. Keep on exploring the great outdoors and we’ll see you next year!
By The Rev. Allison Liles
Ultimately though, we believe in a God who came to earth so he could live serving other people. By healing, teaching and caring for others, Jesus shows us the love of God. Jesus serves God by caring for others and as Jesus’ followers, we are to do the same. With this in mind we drove to Luray and visited two separate nursing facilities where we read and crafted with dozens of residents. Many campers articulated their anxiety prior to our excursion and it was clear they stepped far outside of their comfort zones once we arrived. Other campers worked alongside the residents with such ease that an outsider might think they’d known each other for years and years. Whether they were overcoming discomfort or seamlessly transitioning from Shrine Mont to Whispering Pines Assisted Living, every single SHYC camper served with joyous hearts, humility, love and tenderness. A camper defined community later that evening as any group with whom you have a connection, and after this visit our SHYC community widened quite a bit. Thanks be to God.
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The view from the mountainSpreading the good news of Shrine Mont Camps into the Valley of the World.
AuthorsThe View from the Mountain is written by a rotating cast of staff writers and contributors. Archives
September 2018
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