As the leaves fade from green to tan and the air holds a slight chill, memories of this summer still warm our hearts.
“My favorite memory during this summer was week two at TrailHead, when a few campers made me gifts,” McCartney Fitzgerald recalled. “As a marketing intern, I wasn’t with the campers all the time, so it meant a lot when one of them made me a camera in arts and
crafts and another one drew a picture of me. It meant the world and was very sweet.”
Just a few short months ago we were hiking, singing, kitchen party-ing, swimming, sliding, horseback riding, and worshipping together.
"One of my favorite memories was our last s’morgasbord,” Hailey Anderson added. “It was so fun being goofy and seeing the reactions on the campers’ faces. At one point I tripped and fell on the ground, but I just went with it and the campers enjoyed it. I love making people laugh, and s’morgasbord is a place where I can do that.”
There were countless bouts of laughter this past summer — some shy giggles meeting new friends, and other times we laughed until our sides hurt.
The 44 members of this year’s Summer Ministry Team laughed, learned, and grew alongside 1,288 campers at Sullivan Hills Camp and Carol Joy Holling Camp this summer.
“It was my very first time ever teaching kids about God,” Doug Schafer shared. “So I had to do a little more background research, looking up things, as well as listening and learning from other staff members so that I could use that to help the campers learn more.”
This year’s Summer Ministry Team leaned on each other for many things.
“We built up the community to support each other no matter what. It didn’t matter what was
going on, we tried our best to show up for each other when we needed it,” Zoe Hoffmeyer described. “We stuck together.”
And they’re looking forward to coming back next summer.
"I had a really great summer this year and didn’t even think twice about reapplying,” Hailey said. “I love being at camp and away from my crazy life for a little bit over the summer!”
“Overall, camp is my second home,” Zoe agreed. “It has changed my life and so many others’. I want to help in changing more people’s lives so they can know and experience God’s love, creation, and word.”
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
Applications are now open for the 2024 Summer Ministry Team. To learn more about
the summer staff experience, visit NLOM.org/smt or reach out to our Summer Camp Director, Bailey Neitzel, at BNeitzel@NLOM.org or 402-944-2544
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