A Day in Staff Training

Sunday, May 21
Today, I took on a brand new, life-altering task. I left my family in Sebastopol, Mississippi to come to a town I barely knew was on the map. A few months ago, I had been in deep prayer about what my next step would be, and God more or less threw a curveball at me and opened the door to a summer ministering at Camp Wesley Pines. So, here I am. I was extremely nervous as I unloaded my things and chose my bed. I had an endless stream of thoughts about the people who surrounded me; however, I knew one thing about each of them. God put these specific people right here in my life for a reason, and he has an extraordinary purpose for each one of us. Today, I thank God for new beginnings and for this amazing opportunity to be a light for His kingdom.
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Monday, May 22
Today marked the beginning of Camp Wesley Pines staff training 2017. (and the beginning of our wonderful, super tasty cafeteria food. ) I was so inspired to see how organized Zach (our boss), and Jana (staff instructor) were; it showed how committed they were to see the staff and each camp succeed. We learned so much information in a matter of hours; I felt as if my brain would literally explode. But, I am thankful, because Jana covered every possible scenario that could happen at camp. Trust me, I mean EVERY possibility. I think I finally know everyone’s names. Well, sort of. We have an Amy, Anna, Anna Grace, Adam, and an Annie! How confusing, right? Even though I have never been an expert swimmer, I strived to push myself at the swimming pool, and I passed all the prerequisites for lifeguard training. Today, I want to thank God for the initiation of friendships and a burst of endurance to complete a task I wanted to give up on.

Tuesday, May 23
Early this morning, I found out that a precious lady in my family left this world and went home to our Heavenly Father. The devil was really taking a toll on me, as I wanted to be home with my family. However, as I opened my devotional (“Too Blessed to be Stressed” by Deborah Coty), for my daily quiet time, God knew just what I needed. He placed Jeremiah 29:12 right in front of me. “Call on me, and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” From that moment, I knew how to get through my day. As Jana better prepared us to be leaders, I began to build relationships with the other staff members. We executed a team building activity in which our whole staff had to balance and cross a thin, metal cable. We learned that when one person fails, we all fail. In life, God wants nothing more than for us to strive to bring others to Him. When one of His children falls because we were not fulfilling our Christian duties, we have all failed. Today, I thank God for the reminder of His presence and His patience when we fail Him.

Friday, May 26
I am completely and utterly exhausted. But I know that this is only preparing us for the trying weeks ahead. We must be physically, spiritually, and mentally prepared to take in these kids and minister to them. We have been thoroughly training for our CPR/first aid and lifeguard certifications. My muscles are so sore, and I think I have drank at least two gallons of the chlorine water. However, we have to keep working hard, because there are only a few more days until we take our final test to see if we are mentally equipped for the title. Tonight, Brother Johnny and Mrs. Connie hosted dinner at their house. It is so encouraging to see how hard they work to make camp a success, and they go above and beyond with such cheerful and giving attitudes. Today, I thank God for such an outgoing, Godly pastor couple, and I pray for an extra boost of energy for the days to come.

Monday, May 29
After such a refreshing day of rest and relaxation, we started our Monday off bright and early learning how the Tower works. The tower is a combined rock wall, zip line, and a few other cool things. I was really skeptical about my life being in the hands of my fellow staff. As I was working my way up the rock wall, I looked down and became so nervous, and I realized that this course is so much like life. If we continuously look back at where we have come from, we become blinded and unable to see what God has waiting ahead. We also learned how to properly secure kids into a high ropes course, and honestly, I am beyond excited to see campers complete these obstacles. Today, I thank God for taking away fear in tough situations, and I pray that I keep my eyes focused on the future He has prepared for me, and not the past.

Thursday, June 1
Over the last few days, we have been sharpening the skills we have learned throughout staff training. We have also grown closer, and we have built trust and unity among one another. I pray that as our training is ending, God will continue to prepare our hearts and minds. I pray that He flows through every single camp we host and that the campers will sprout a desire to learn and grow in Him.

​TIME FOR CAMP!!

Bethanie Myers
​Summer Staff 2017