I am most aware of the uniqueness of my job (working at a Christian Camp) while traveling. Without fail, when I board a flight, the small talk with the strangers in my row will ask the question, "So, what do you do?"
To which I reply, "I work at a camp?"
"Sorry, I asked what do you do? Not what do you do for fun."
I slightly giggle and nod, "I work at a camp."
"Oh, are you a park ranger or something?"
"No, it is similar to a retreat center." Which always leads to the same question, "So, what do you do when it's not summer?"
Classic. The conversation usually involves me explaining further while met with puzzled expressions and fake nods of understanding while closing with "hmmm, interesting" or "well, that's very nice dear."
There is so much more.
I leave these conversations wishing I could give these strangers a far better picture than my words could ever paint. Yet, how do I truly capture working at camp? How do I describe the adventure of the mountains as your backyard or the beauty of a community who lives and serves beside you? A community whose wealth of knowledge leaves you inspired. From mechanics who can listen to engine sounds and identify precisely what is wrong with a vehicle to a designer who takes his time to explain graphite transfers and the difference in HB numbers from one pencil to the next. How do I explain the joy of working long, sweaty hours in the dish room beside peers who sing from the top of their lungs to the best Disney songs?
How do I describe the beautiful mess that makes up a body of broken sinful believers who work with the gospel as the fuel for their drive? How do I depict a spontaneous knock on the door and an unexpected evening of laughter and breakfast for dinner? Or a room of people singing in worship through the uncertainty of the future?
How do I describe the stars that seem to swallow you up into a fiery city when you look into the night sky or the stillness that comes when one stops to stare at the yellow aspens just a little while longer to soak up the autumn gold before it fades into winter?
How do I share of the life-long friends created? How I ache to see them, counting down the days. How when we are together it is as though no time at all has passed.
How do I explain working for a place which opens the door for the gospel to be shared and received? How do I state the significance of a place which fights for God's Kingdom by giving others an opportunity to be known and loved? A place which lives for adventure and seeks to change the world along the way.
To which I reply, "I work at a camp?"
"Sorry, I asked what do you do? Not what do you do for fun."
I slightly giggle and nod, "I work at a camp."
"Oh, are you a park ranger or something?"
"No, it is similar to a retreat center." Which always leads to the same question, "So, what do you do when it's not summer?"
Classic. The conversation usually involves me explaining further while met with puzzled expressions and fake nods of understanding while closing with "hmmm, interesting" or "well, that's very nice dear."
There is so much more.
I leave these conversations wishing I could give these strangers a far better picture than my words could ever paint. Yet, how do I truly capture working at camp? How do I describe the adventure of the mountains as your backyard or the beauty of a community who lives and serves beside you? A community whose wealth of knowledge leaves you inspired. From mechanics who can listen to engine sounds and identify precisely what is wrong with a vehicle to a designer who takes his time to explain graphite transfers and the difference in HB numbers from one pencil to the next. How do I explain the joy of working long, sweaty hours in the dish room beside peers who sing from the top of their lungs to the best Disney songs?
How do I describe the beautiful mess that makes up a body of broken sinful believers who work with the gospel as the fuel for their drive? How do I depict a spontaneous knock on the door and an unexpected evening of laughter and breakfast for dinner? Or a room of people singing in worship through the uncertainty of the future?
How do I describe the stars that seem to swallow you up into a fiery city when you look into the night sky or the stillness that comes when one stops to stare at the yellow aspens just a little while longer to soak up the autumn gold before it fades into winter?
How do I share of the life-long friends created? How I ache to see them, counting down the days. How when we are together it is as though no time at all has passed.
How do I explain working for a place which opens the door for the gospel to be shared and received? How do I state the significance of a place which fights for God's Kingdom by giving others an opportunity to be known and loved? A place which lives for adventure and seeks to change the world along the way.
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