It only takes a spark, to get a fire going,
And soon all those around will warm up in its glowing,
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it,
You spread that love to everyone,
You want to pass it on.
- Pass It On, Kurt Kaiser (1969)
How is my Peace Intern summer already over halfway done!? It amazes me that this journey has been flying by so quickly! The compassion and kindness I’ve encountered already this summer have been truly life-changing, and I cannot wait to see what else this season has in store for me. So far I have been able to find elements of home at each camp I’ve visited. At the same time, all of these places have been their own unique communities that have welcomed me with loving arms.
To be completely transparent, I had no idea how to get these feelings down on paper or what exactly tied all of these experiences into a nicely wrapped blog post until one Sunday morning. I sat in the same back-row church pew that I have been accustomed to all of my life and looked up at the pulpit as though it were just another worship service spent at FCC Bedford. This one was different for one apparent reason, I was so sleepy. My eyes were having a hard time staying open, just as they were for most mornings of camp last week. I was exhausted. Not my normal college student kind of tired, but four weeks of church camp back-to-back with late nights and early mornings to boot kind of tired. That was, until, the sermon began for the morning and my eyes popped wide open. My home minister, Will Brown, began preaching on the concept of community and my mind was instantly flooded with all of the examples of community I have seen so far this summer. From the tradition of a community serenade across the lake at Camp Christian to Camp Walter Scott’s literal community of goats, I had so much to share about what I knew regarding community. As I continued listening though, I realized the message was something deeper; the point of Jesus’ community was to share His good news just as I have been doing as a Peace Intern.
Will then said something that brought me to tears; to plant the necessary seeds of God’s garden, we first have to go to new places. For me, it's been getting accustomed to the new place that has been the scariest. In each camp I’ve been to so far, my worst days have been Mondays. Sometimes I feel like a broken Garfield record going on about my disdain for Mondays. I’ve realized this is because, on most typical camp schedules, Mondays are day one. This means there is no community formed yet for the week. Sure people may know each other’s names or faces or have met before, but they have not yet experienced each other in the unique context of that camp week. Building that community takes time and it can be hard work sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it!
Photo shows a selfie taken by Maggie Lewis with a view of Allisonville Christian Church youth group and sponsors behind her, alongside Peace Intern Allison Nash and Christmount Director Rev. Rob Morris
The community I found at Christmount Christian Assembly was amazing, and super unique in its own right. From the first moment I spent hanging out with staff and counselors, I could tell that it was a tight-knit group of people who all had so much love for each other and the space they were in. I was introduced to campers for the week and we all got to try the slip-and-slide together, with every person there welcoming and encouraging me to join in their fun. As I slipped down the huge hill, there were cheers of my name from people who had only learned who I was minutes before. I was humbled to be welcomed into that community, even if our overlap was short. Another key member of this community is the trusty camp director, Rev. Rob Morris. From the first moment I stepped onto Christmount’s campus, Rob was around making sure everything I needed was taken care of. To have someone there who I could confide in, laugh with, and trust from the get-go was a powerful testimony to the love and community that exists within Christmount. The truest testament to this community that I felt all week came when I tripped and twisted my ankle on the final day of Allisonville’s Mission Trip. They were heading off to Charlotte while I was staying back at Christmount, which meant pretty much everyone I knew well was leaving. The anxiety surrounding that felt as though it made my ankle ailment 10x worse, but that pain subsided rather quickly when I was met with ice, a stool to rest my foot, and warm wishes from Rob and the rest of the staff. Rob’s jokes as we rode on the golf cart back to my lodging gave me complete assurance that this community consisted of good people, and I was quite lucky to be a part of it for even a short time.
While the Allisonville group was there, we had the chance to go on a guided nature hike of the North Carolina mountains. During this time, I learned about many of the plants and animals that live around Christmount. More importantly, I got to learn all about the interconnectedness of nature. In one instance, there was a kind of dirt in the area that needed a certain type of fungi that depended on a certain type of tree root to be in the same area, which also needed a specific kind of flower - all at the same time. This interconnectedness reminded me a lot of the community of us as a church, we need each other’s unique gifts to be able to be supported and uplifted in our own gifts. This idea was certainly not lost on the community at Christmount, a community I’m forever thankful to have gotten to experience.
Picture shows a group of CYF and Chi Rho campers alongside counselors and directors on the amphitheater hill at Camp Christian.
My travel day from Asheville, North Carolina to Columbus, Ohio began as a stressful one. The tiny Asheville airport was packed, but I was extremely early for my flight just in case so the timing worked out fine. My true highlight of the day was Disciples Peace Fellowship making my dreams come true as I got to walk across the tarmac to get to my flight, just like in the movies! While I have traveled by myself several times, traveling solo as a Peace Intern is somehow different. Maybe it is the anxiety of someone you’ve never met picking you up from the airport, or perhaps, like in my case, it is the exhaustion of carrying a 40 lb. backpack as your personal
item for the trip. Alas, my 40-pound pack and I made it to Columbus where I was immediately greeted with an essence of home as I got picked up by a stranger. The stranger/soon-to-be-counselor-peer came with a Polar Pop in hand - a large styrofoam pop drink that all locals of my hometown know and love, especially my mom. This sign of comfort, along with the corn and sow bean fields we passed on the way to Camp Christian gave me hopethat I would soon find my community there.
On the first full day of camp, counselors and staff stood at the front of the dining hall to introduce themselves to campers. We played an ice-breaker-style game beforehand to come up with fun facts about ourselves that campers would then guess. It was helpful knowing these facts about my fellow counselors as the only first-time visitor on staff that week. As I began to nervously sing along to the introduction song, I noticed the girl next to me dancing to the music and she gave me a warm smile. I joined in her dancing with my best ‘dad moves’ and she giggled before saying “I can tell we are going to be friends!” Our giggling and fun dance moves continued all week long, and I truly did find a friend by stepping out of my comfort zone on that first day of camp.
That interaction was only the beginning of wonderful moments that I shared with my fellow counselors that week. I made another one of my closest friendships while complimenting another counselor’s tye-dye Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. Our laughter shared over the feisty mosquitos (or ‘skeeters’, as we lovingly referred to them), old rock and roll bands, and TikTok slang brought me more joy than I can express. I even got to meet a former Peace Intern, C Stonebraker Martinez, and I cannot say enough about how much our friendship and their mentorship have continued to impact me already. At the end of the week, I was treated to some much-needed and appreciated home hospitality by a friend I made at Camp Christian. Before taking me to the airport, she even took me to her favorite Thai restaurant and hauled me around from store to store in search of a carry-on to solve my 40 lb. backpack issue. Long story short, to say I was welcomed into the loving, inclusive, and courageous community of Camp Christian would be a ginormous understatement. Even while I was finding elements of home around each corner, I was also being encouraged by the counselors, directors, and campers to step out of my comfort zone. They gave me the space and comfortability to be authentically me while also expanding upon what that truly means for me.
Leaving Camp Christian, and all the people there that made up our camp community, was hard. I shed many tears on my way out of the gate and some more in the airport on my way out of Columbus. The good news is that my travel day was much less stressful since I had my new carry-on bag and the hope of not meeting a stranger on my next airport ride. This time, I was flying from Columbus to Indianapolis, Indiana, and would get to be picked up by my mom and best friends! While the travel day itself was not much different than any other Peace Intern travel day, the excitement of heading to my home camp for the week gave me much hope.
I showed up to Camp Bedford on Monday morning bright-eyed and ready for the new week after two precious nights of sleep in my own bed at home. The counseling staff for the week was filled with many familiar faces, bringing me tons of comfort from the very beginning. Going into the week, my excitement about being at Camp Bedford was also met with fears that others may not take me seriously or possibly even still see me as the kid I was when I attended as a camper. In Will’s sermon from Sunday, he talked about how intimidating it can be to try to make a difference in your hometown. Boy, was he right! My hometown is a wonderful Southern Indiana small-town and I’m so happy that I have their influence in my life. At the same time, it can be intimidating to stand up and be different in a place where it feels as though everybody knows your name or face. To no real surprise of my own though, Camp Bedford and the Explorer’s counseling and directing staff along with our amazing campers gave me the love and welcoming arms that allowed me to be myself.
Picture shows 2024 Explorer’s Camp staf in tye-dye t-shirts around and on top of a Camp Bedford golf cart.
I was humbled to be the first Peace Intern to attend a 4th and 5th-grade camp. The first few days took some practice to change my understanding of camp from the perspective of a high schooler to that of an upper elementary student. Their energy levels, sleep schedules, and overall attention needs differ significantly - who would have known?!? Nonetheless, their age did not prohibit them from understanding or engaging with the material I had prepared. I was astonished at the entire camp’s curiosity, bravery, and respect they exemplified as we discussed the concepts of sexuality and gender. I watched throughout the week as the campers created their own form of community, helping those around them who may typically be ignored. Even more than that, I saw each one of them experience what Camp Bedford has always taught me - the love God has for each and every one of us is unending and all-encompassing.
I left with a new perspective on the home I’ve always known. A perspective that was created through watching and listening to those around me about how they understand and love Camp Bedford in their own unique ways. I watched kids come out of their shells as the week went on, performing rap songs in the talent show. I experienced counselors who I didn’t know before become new friends who I can count on for guidance this summer and beyond. Overall, I learned to love my home in a new way from a new perspective. While it was a difficult adjustment at moments, it opened my eyes to the overwhelming resources and opportunities Camp Bedford has to offer.
Picture shows 2024 Peace Intern, Maggie B Lewis, and 2022 Peace Intern, Erin Gresham posed for a selfie in Camp Walter Scott’s dining hall.
My travel day from Bedford to Camp Walter Scott in Illinois looked different than any other Peace Intern travel day yet. Although it was similar to my travel day with Allisonville to Christmount where we drove for most of the day, it was much different because I was the one driving! This was my first ever solo road trip, and I’d say it was a great starter in prepping for even more to come. My drive was just under 3 hours long and was a nice chance to listen to some of my favorite new albums. Even though I got lost amidst the Illinois cornfields for a while, I eventually found my way to camp and the week was off.
As camp started on Sunday afternoon, I was greeted by many friendly faces. People were asking me about my summer, giving me ideas for workshop topics, and ensuring I was doing alright throughout it all. Truthfully, I was extremely tired and I think most people saw that even though I tried my best to have my typical first day of camp excitement. The theme of my week quickly became grace, something I needed to start giving myself as I usually give to others. One of the main themes of the curriculum that week was giving yourself the space and ability to ‘refill your bucket’.
One way that I refill my bucket is through talking to others. Just having human interaction and perhaps even learning more about a topic I'm interested in can make me feel recharged most of the time. These recharging or bucket-filling moments came naturally to me at Camp Walter Scott. Starting from the first day, conversations were easy to come by. From confetti canon laughter to deep discussions about peace and justice, there was always someone to talk to and help me refill my social battery. I even got to meet and hang out with Erin Gresham, a former Peace Intern! The conversations I shared with them helped to give me new perspectives on my summer journey, as well as how to confidently set healthy boundaries for my needs throughout the summer and beyond.
As the week went on, I only became more tired. There was so much fun and laughter happening around me, but at times, I was actually struggling to keep my eyes open. I gave my Implicit Bias Workshop on Thursday which renewed some of my energy, but it soon gave effects similar to that of a sugar crash. In short, my body was aching and I was too exhausted to stay upright. I practiced the ideas given to me about setting boundaries for myself and expressed these feelings to the counselors around me. My request for an early night to collect myself was not met with questions of why or murmurs of complaint like my anxious mind said it would. Instead, my boundary was met with kind words, hugs, offerings of aid, and even an offer to pray over me before I left for bed.
On Thursday night of camp, I sobbed as I had my bucket refilled when fellow counselors prayed over me and my journey this summer. It reminded me of my time at Camp Christian when another counselor offered to pray over me and his act of love gave me the emotional strength and stability to continue being there for my campers the rest of the week. This time was no different. As the group of counselors surrounded me, amidst the chaos of middle school campers running around, I felt a kind of inner peace that I hadn’t before. At first, I panicked though. How could these people I’ve only just met a few days ago understand my exhaustion and overall grumpiness? Then, as we quoted many times that week, I “epiphed!”
All of a sudden, the puzzle pieces fell into place. I realized that the curriculum I’ve been studying for most of my camps this summer centered around the idea of being linked together in love. More than that, the curriculum is about taking care of God’s children because of how much we are all connected. At that moment, in the dining hall of Walter-Scott, I was taken care of by my community. At Christmount when a twisted ankle felt like the end of my world, I was taken care of by my community. During the counselor prayer circle at Camp Christian when a friend prayed over me, I was taken care of by my community. While being nurtured and respected by my fellow staff at Camp Bedford, I was taken care of by my community. I needed my bucket filled many times this summer, and the people around me truly delivered.
These camps have also allowed me to grow in how I care for others. Before starting the summer, the responsibility of watching over and taking care of other people for a week at a time overwhelmed me tremendously. I knew it would be possible, of course, but to say I was nervous would be an understatement. By the end of my first week of camp, as tired as I was, I didn’t feel nervous anymore. That week gave me the confidence to keep going and growing. As the weeks have gone on, it has gotten easier. The consistent supply of mail, care packages, calls, texts, prayers, thoughts, and general good vibes have helped to fill my bucket immensely. Along with that, the people I have met and interacted with throughout this journey so far who have reached out their arms with love and hospitality have been my saving graces. I feel honored to be serving as a Peace Intern, but I feel even more admiration for the acts of love and peace I have received from the communities I’ve visited along my way.
Will you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Mystic,
We thank You for the precious gift that is community. May we all be reminded of how much the concept and acceptance of community can bring love to all of our lives. Further, we thank You for the wondrous interconnectedness of creation. We ask that as we continue on our journeys of life we can see those special moments of mutuality and need for another. More than that, may we not be blinded by our dif erences so much so that we see our most important binding similarity - love.
Amen.
‘I love you but Jesus loves you best!’
- With love and peace, Maggie B