Flexibility - that’s the word I think best describes my first two official weeks as a peace intern.
Initially, I was supposed to attend one in person camp and one virtual camp. Sadly, both of those camps had to be canceled and so we had to quickly find a way for me to fill up those two weeks. While it wasn’t how I planned the summer to start, it ended up being a great couple of weeks!
I started by working with Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director of Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries. Prior to this experience, I was a little familiar with the state of our refugee and immigration policies, but not near as much as Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea. It was so great to hear from someone so passionate and knowledgeable on the subject, teaching me so much in the process. I had the opportunity to learn and advocate for World Refugee Day which was on June 20th! In the process of helping others advocate for refugees and asylum seekers in our country, I learned more about our laws and ways I can make a difference from right here in the middle of Kansas.
The girls in my cabin, holding up their craft - a paper lantern where they drew something that reminds them of light
Originally, that was the project I would be working on for those two weeks, but as I mentioned above there’s been a lot of flexibility. My regional church camp had a counselor who had to drop out a few days before the camp, which left them in desperate need of another female counselor so that second week I played double duty - leading the junior camp and sneaking away during nap time to do some more work for RIM and meet with pastors interested in World Refugee Day.
Similarly to most camps, my region is using the Creation Speaks curriculum, which talks about our creation story, how we are connected to the earth, and ways we can be God’s light. I believe that at this age, it’s especially important to make sure children know they are important, created in the image of God, and all have their unique ways of shining light into the world. One of the stories we read was Rainbow Fish - one of my childhood favorites - and learned the importance of sharing our resources with others. Finally, we left the kids thinking about what they can do out in the world to be true disciples - sharing light, and caring for all of God’s creations.
While it was an exhausting couple of weeks, I am so thankful for all the people I had the chance to work with, and the kids at camp for having a great time with me!