Hello friends! Michael and Rachel here! We serve in the Ministerial Development department at Camp Joy in Whitewater Wisconsin. This department focuses on mentoring and discipling the summer staff. While we oversee the department, we individually focus on the counselors.
We have seen God greatly use the counselors at Camp Joy in the past, and we confidently expect Him to continue doing so in the future. Therefore, if you are a young adult (or about to be!) we want to share with you a couple of reasons why we think you should seek out the opportunity to counsel.
We fully admit that we are bias, and though we can only speak of Camp Joy counselors, we firmly believe that counseling at Camp Joy is one of the best summer opportunities you can experience!
1. God changes YOU!
It is no secret that while you serve, God is also working on your own heart. When you counsel, you practice and apply godly character like self-sacrifice, Bible memorization, personal Bible study, and serving with other believers. All of this, Lord willing, is being used by God to change you to more like Himself! At the end of each summer counselors will testify that they not only saw their campers’ lives changed, but their own life changed as well.
2. Your campers may make decisions!
The spiritual impact is the most important part of the Camp Joy program. Decisions on when to eat, what kind of fun to have, etc. are all made with the goal of seeking to help campers make decisions for Christ that will last. Counselors get a front row seat to this focus and may even get to be the vessel that God uses to help guide campers to make life-changing choices! Seeing God add to His Kingdom is an opportunity that is worth everything.
3. Community is born!
It can be lonely as a Christian young person in this world without other people around you who desire Christ. Serving at Camp Joy gives you the opportunity to make life-long friends who edify and build you up! There is nothing like it. Counselors and support staff get to meet together each week to pray and study God’s word. On weekends there are plenty of opportunities for recreational activities such as pickle ball, canoeing, volleyball, and much more!
Conclusion
We encourage you to seek out the opportunity to be a camp counselor or summer staff worker! You may find new iron-sharpening friends who will impact you for years to come or you may see your campers make important decisions for Christ. However, the most important result of serving for a summer is the ways that God may permanently change YOUR life!
If you believe Camp Joy is the place for you, we encourage you to apply at www.campjoy.org.
