Humbled Once More Before the Lord
As I progress through my fourth summer with Toronto City Mission at the Sonshine Day Camp, I can’t help but feel blessed to be able to learn and grow with the team at the Jesse Ketchum site once again. Throughout my years of service at Jesse Ketchum, God has continually taught and reminded me of His presence and grace, and this summer is no exception.
Coming into this summer with new responsibilities as a Co-Director for the Sonshine Day Camp was an interesting experience. It revealed my expectations built upon my past experiences as an intern. Stepping into this new role was initially difficult, both in the intern training and the summer camp. Being responsible for helping the Outreach Workers lead the Teens Leading Communities (TLC) and other Summer Interns, there is so much more to consider and reflect on.
They’re the TLCs for the summer camp. It has been a true blessing to lead the teens and watch them grow to become leaders in their community.
While blessed with the opportunity to serve my community once more, I found myself feeling anxious, tired, and frustrated as I worried about how the summer camp was going. Stepping into this new role, the program and experiences I was so accustomed to were put into new perspectives.
As the camp continued, I found myself seeing more of God’s work and goodness through my interactions with the kids. They reminded me that while I was proud of my experiences and accomplishments, these things were nothing compared to God’s grace that is already at work in their hearts. Seeing how new campers settled into the program and how much the TLCs have grown since last year reminded me that I need to rely on God instead of myself. This helped me refocus my approach to the camp and serving.
The staff and interns plan a theme day with games and snacks for each week. Everyone, including campers, will dress up according to the theme, making it a fun and unique experience!
Having new kids come to the program is always a joy, and seeing them through the lens of a Co-Director has shown me how much God has already moved them, as well as the returning campers. Seeing their growing excitement for the camp, especially during Bible storytime and small group discussions, showed me how much was happening in their hearts without my direct influence. I realized that in my stress over making sure the program ran smoothly and trying to support the team, I had forgotten that everything ultimately depends on God, not just me.
God showed me how foolish I was and reminded me of the many blessings He has given me. Returning to the camp in a new role has given me a fresh perspective. With fewer activities to plan, I’ve had more time to observe, and that distance has allowed me to see a bigger picture that I wasn’t able to see during past summer internships.
Can you tell what theme this is? (Hint 1: Look at the dinosaur in the middle. Hint 2: This is based on a classic Hollywood movie.)
Through leading the TLCs, God has shown me the teens’ commitment to learn and improve as they step into their role as leaders for younger kids. Many of the TLCs this year were campers during my first summer internship back in 2022. Seeing their desire to take on leadership roles and serve alongside the team has been heartwarming to witness. I can see how much they’ve come to care about the camp and serving their community. They would ask me how they did after leading activities and would even ask to lead another one when they felt like they didn’t give their best. It has been a true blessing to lead the teens and watch them grow. Their growth is a testament to God’s goodness at work.
Within a few weeks of summer camp, God has shown me so much, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to grow with the kids and my team again this summer.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
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