While most of the student body was working this summer simply to pay for the coming semester, I was working for adventure. The trees, kids, birds, laughter, pontoon rides, sunsets and sunrises, naps in the meadow, raccoons, bees and butterflies were all part of my summer. I had all these experiences because I had the privilege to work at a summer camp called Camp Amigo. Amigo, which is located near Sturgis, Mich., has been my home for the past four summers. In past years I have been a counselor, but this year was different. I really didn’t have a job title, I was just “that guy.” My main job was just to be there for everyone, campers and staff. I was the go-to guy and did a lot of random jobs from planning and leading the activities to working with media.

Every week we would have cookout breakfasts. This, I have to say, was my favorite meal. It was bacon, eggs, and hash browns over the fire. And not to brag, but I was pretty good at cooking it. I would always get up pretty early and be the first one out at my cookout site. But one morning I couldn’t get the fire started, I tried and tried. Finally two other staff members came to help out, but they couldn’t get it going it either. At this point I noticed that a storm was coming. So I radioed the rest of the campsites to see where they were at. They had just put the bacon on. All we had was a fire that kept going out. We had sent the kids at our site to go play a game somewhere else with their counselors. I was getting too mad at this point, so I picked up a log that was sitting there and threw it into the woods as far as I could. It didn’t really help because apparently we were going to try to burn it next. The kids ended up eating cereal in the dining hall as the storm hit (which in the end I think they enjoyed it more because they don’t appreciate the goodness of bacon at that young age).

So many times I got frustrated with fires, staff, campers, boats (breaking down on the pontoon in the middle of the lake by yourself isn’t that great) and just wanted to throw something in the woods. I just had to think to myself on how many times God is frustrated with us as we breakdown or have trouble growing. Just imagine God throwing a log into the woods every time you beef it. We need to have patience with things in our lives, with everyday problems and with ourselves. Just like God does with us.