So, here is my first attempt at a blog for the summer. I am not quite sure how exactly these things are supposed to work, therefore I would love some feedback from you, my readers (or reader more likely)…
The first week of my summer led me to Camp Kum-Ba-Ya down in western Kentucky. Being from Kentucky, I have always been familiar with KBY and even spent a week there as a camper in 8th grade for Eighter’s Camp, but it had been a long time and I was not sure what to expect. This was really my first time truly experiencing a camp not called Wakondaho. On top of that, I had all the anxieties and pressures that I had put on myself that accompanied my newly acquired title of Peace Intern. All the natural questions filled my ahead: “Would I fit in at this camp?
Would anyone get anything out of my message” What in the world am I doing with my summer?” There is no doubt I was nervous, anxious, but certainly eager and excited to be starting my summer.
The always incredible Randy Kuss keynoted and taught the camp a song that had simple words, but truer words have never been spoken. The words were “Surely God is in this place…holy ground.” That simple. And I must say God was truly in that place and in all parts of it. I saw God almost the second I got there and from the second I left. I could feel God in everyone on staff, in the car rides with Jeff Bruce, my small group with Jeff (the other one) and Kelsey, in hashtag jokes with Billy, and in the way Catherine so easily welcomed me in. I saw God in the many cups of coffee, all the energizers, and in all the keynotes. One night at vespers it started raining, but everyone managed to stay dry due to the cover of the trees, and in a moment like that, how could I not laugh and think God has a great sense of humor? I especially saw God in the campers, in their willingness to interact with each other, in their openness to new experiences, and especially in their unconditional love for their camp and each other. It was amazing.
So as Randy posed the question: “If you could inject one good thing into the world with your life – what would it be?” I knew God was in that question because at the height of my self doubt that question took the wind out of me. It was that question that stood out so much because it doesn’t call for a lot, but it asks us to think about one thing that we can do differently to make the world a better place – just one thing. As a peace intern, it is easy to bite off more than you can chew and try too hard to do so much when really it is as simple as changing one thing. It is the smallest of changes that can have the biggest of impacts on the world and that is an important reminder for me as a carry on with my adventures this summer. However, it is also I question that I want others to think about. In a world filled with violence, injustice, and genuine chaos, what can you change? What can you do differently to make the world a better place? In a world where everyone goes with the flow, I challenge you to be someone that can be just a little different and watch what happens because I have a feeling the ripple effect will surprise us.
Remember, God is in this place, all of it, not just at camp though the connection tends to be a little clearer. But, if you take just a second and listen, you might actually notice God trying to say something to you, or maybe making a little joke.
-Daniel