This summer, we have focused on the Lord’s Prayer and its application to our campers' lives. Reflect on the line, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and Aldersgate’s mission to be “a sacred space, empowering all in faith and friendship to change the world.” After living in community this summer, how do you plan to embody and enact these principles in your life going forward?
Growing up, I was always surrounded by faith and friendship. It was routine for me to talk about my faith and what it meant for my relationships. Attending Catholic school provided me with a comprehensive education on religion, and attending church taught me everything I needed to know to partake in conversations and practices. Family and friends shared their perspectives, helping me understand what religion meant to them. Despite this extensive exposure, I never learned how to have a personal connection with God outside of my faith community. Through all my life I learned what faith is supposed to be and feel like, but what it didn’t teach me was how I fit into all of it and because of that I lost myself. Everyone around me seemed secure in their faith and connections, leaving me feeling left behind. For years, I went through life without my faith, always feeling like something was missing. It wasn’t until God led me to Camp Aldersgate that I truly began to feel at home in myself, my faith, and in a community.
Every year in staff training we are asked to reflect on the mission line by line and interpret it into our own meanings. Every year I have written the same thing, “to change the world one kid at a time”. To answer the question of how I plan to embody and enact the principles I have learned here at camp in my life going forward is to look back at my experience these past three summers. I came to camp lost in my faith not knowing where I fit in or what my relationship with God was like. My only plan was to touch as many kids lives as I could. Something Megan always told me was that I am making impacts on kids that I will never get to see. The stories I have heard about the impact I have made on my kids are ones that weren’t planned, or even thought of being a possibility. It wasn’t until the end of my first summer that I realized God was there with me all along. Looking back now it’s clear to me that you often change a kid’s life without even realizing it. It’s even more clear to me that I could never change my kids’ lives as much as they, and this community, have changed mine. That is the beauty of a place like Aldersgate. It gives you the opportunity to make the change that you want but changes you in the process. These kids are what brought back my relationship with God. They are what make me believe in a better future. They make camp what camp is supposed to be like. A space where even as an adult, the kids are teaching me lessons. Where the kids are the magic of what makes camp more than just a summer camp. Because of these kids, it is easier to believe. It is easier to see the deeper meaning in things like my faith. I never imagined for the kids be the ones to make a bigger difference. I never imagined the kids to be the ones to impact me instead. To show me the feelings I wanted them to feel.
Having a relationship with God is not always about the feeling it gives you, but the feeling He allows you to give others. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The impact heaven and religion make on an individual is the same impact I have always wanted to make on kids. I was lost in my faith because I wasn’t feeling that impact from God that I grew up learning about. Aldersgate helped me find my faith again, not because it gave me the feeling I was missing, but because I was able to create that feeling for my kids. I was able to empower them and provide the sacred space our mission talks about. This phrase is a powerful reminder of our role in bringing that feeling to others in our daily lives, aligning our actions with the higher purpose and goodness we envision in heaven.
The lessons I learned from my three summers will guide me to live a life that not only honors my faith but honors the change I have made in my kids. I don’t have a set plan or a list of things I want to accomplish with these principles. The only way I know how to embody these principles is by making sure I continue my path of faith and uphold the values I have been taught.
Rather than following a rigid plan, I believe in embracing the values and lessons learned at Camp Aldersgate as guiding principles for my life. This allows for flexibility and adaptability, ensuring that I can respond to new challenges and opportunities with the same spirit of faith, compassion, and service that I have developed here. Continually seeking to grow in my faith through prayer, study, and community involvement involves looking for opportunities to serve others, whether through volunteer work, mentoring, or simply being a supportive friend and listener. I want to carry forward the sense of community and connection I have experienced at Aldersgate, creating environments where others feel valued and supported. There is no better way to honor a place than to be the best version of yourself and have hope that it alone can change the world, one person at a time.
My goal is to remain open to the ways God might lead me, trusting that He will provide direction and purpose in my journey. By focusing on personal growth and staying true to the values I’ve been taught, I believe I can make a meaningful impact in the world. This approach emphasizes the importance of being present, compassionate, and authentic in all my interactions. It’s about living a life that reflects the love, faith, and friendship that I have experienced at Camp Aldersgate. In doing so, I hope to inspire others and contribute to a ripple effect of positive change, one person at a time.
Coming to a place like Aldersgate changes you. When I accepted my job offer three summers ago, I could have never expected all the things it gave me and would continue to give me summer after summer. Being submersed into a community such as this one, with the support, love, faith, and friendships you gain, it doesn’t give you a chance to not change. I came into my first summer an entirely different person than the one I am leaving as two years later. I owe all my growth in faith and as an individual to Camp Aldersgate. I will do everything in my power to continue in my journey of faith and strive to live up to the impact I can only hope I made on my kids. I may not have a plan like most do, but being my best self is worth more and will change more than any set plan could.
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