Sure, I went through counselor orientation and training, but I really had no idea what to expect until the campers arrived. And yet, week by week, it all worked out. Thankfully, God gives lots of grace, especially to tired counselors who are just trying their best.
For many kids (and staff as well), Camp Au Sable is a place of adventure, new experiences and, hopefully, deeper connection with God. I grew to love all the girls who came through cabin 1A, but during Tween Week, there was one who caught my attention. She seemed intimidating and almost aloof, but as we got to know her more and she settled in with the other girls, she became one of the kindest and sweetest members of our cabin. At the end of the week, after the Friday night play, she shared with the head counselor and I that she came from a very hard family background, and that camp was one of the places she knew she would be safe and loved. It warmed my heart to know that we had helped her know the love of God, extended through the staff.
Every summer at camp is crazy and unexpected in its own ways, but God is good. He provides grace even when we lack and helps bind each week of campers and counselors into family. I look back on that week as one of the times I saw God’s hand the clearest. It is at camp that many campers and staff alike are led to a deeper understanding of His love for them, which I think is a beautiful ministry. I hope that years from now, the girls from cabin 1A will remember their experiences this summer, and I pray that we all remain under the hand of God.
Madelynn Brower is a freshman at Southern Adventist University where she is a communication major with an emphasis in writing and publishing.
Theme: "Grounded to Grow” (John 15:4-5)
Contact: 989-348-5491 | Fax: 989-348-5934
office@campausable.org
www.campausable.org
2590 Camp Au Sable Drive, Grayling, MI 49738
Theme: "God’s Not Finished Yet” (Philippians 1:6)
Contact: Craig Morgan – 313-333-6129
gabmorgan@yahoo.com
2885 State Hwy. M-69, Crystal Falls, MI 49920
