When I arrived at Camp Gwinwood, it was hard to believe that it was my last camp of the summer. I had fallen into a rhythm of arriving in a totally new airport, staying with a stranger, going to camp for a week, and doing it all over again. I almost couldn’t imagine what life was like outside of going to camp. At the same time, I was unbelievably tired and ready to be done after my final week. I came to camp with a bittersweet feeling, with uncertainties about what would come next once Friday rolled around and it was time to head back home. But I also knew the second I arrived at the campground in Lacey, Washington that it was the perfect place to be for my last camp as a Peace Intern.
I knew this for a couple different reasons. The first was that I was close to my home in Corvallis, Oregon. Being back in the Pacific Northwest gave me a sense of calm and familiarity that I’d been missing. The conifer trees that made the camp feel secluded from the rest of the world loomed high above ground. The air was cool enough that I could wear a sweatshirt–a welcome change from the heat and humidity of the many weeks prior. The lake at the edge of camp was a clear and dazzling blue, and just to sit near the dock and look out at the water brought a sense of pure peace. Being at the Gwinwood campground reminded me of countless other places in the PNW where my heart felt at home. The second reason was that my dad, Matt Gordon, was coming to counsel camp. Gwinwood staff was in need of more male counselors and he knew the director, Annie Grogan, so he stepped in! And what a blessing it was that I was going to see him after nearly two months of being away from my family.
The beautiful trees and cabins of Camp Gwinwood.
Annie was the one who picked me up from the airport, let me stay in her apartment, and took me to camp on the day before campers arrived. I had a great time talking with her in the car. She had wisdom to share with me about growing up and finding my path in life. It’s comforting to be told by an adult that I can always change my mind about what I want to do and that all of my experiences will be valuable even when they’re unexpected. This summer I’ve made a big shift in what I might want to do, and while it’s exciting, it’s also scary. Annie wished me the best in my ministry, whatever that may look like. I was happy to spend this time in the car with her before we got to camp, especially after experiencing one of my more stressful travel days.
On the evening we arrived at camp, I met the other counselors who I’d be spending the week with. I met Sarah Almanza, who I shared a cabin with along with the CYF girls. Sarah immediately asked me about my summer and how I was feeling as I unpacked, and was just so incredibly kind. I deeply enjoyed the conversations I was able to have with her throughout the week. I met Colin and Karla, who I got to talk and play music with at Campfire and Vespers each night. They’d been playing music at camp for years and had big books of songs to share. I was grateful for their wisdom. I met Doug Collins, who is a friend of my friend Sarah Zuniga and my pastor Zane Ridings. It was so cool to meet Doug! From the very first moment we interacted, I could feel the love and passion he felt for church camp and I was excited to work with him. We were assigned to lead a Chi Rho group during the week (our group name was the Silver Snakes, which I think is pretty awesome). Doug was also a longtime player of music at camp. That first night before any campers showed up, I got together with Karla, Colin and Doug and we played through as many camp songs as we could to prepare ourselves for the various musical moments the week would provide. It was a great way to familiarize myself with new camp songs (surprise–I hadn’t learned them all, even after being at four other camps!) and get to know the people I’d be playing with.
My incredible dad and I!
Lovely view of the lake...
...and kayaking with campers during Waterfront Time!
Annie was the one who picked me up from the airport, let me stay in her apartment, and took me to camp on the day before campers arrived. I had a great time talking with her in the car. She had wisdom to share with me about growing up and finding my path in life. It’s comforting to be told by an adult that I can always change my mind about what I want to do and that all of my experiences will be valuable even when they’re unexpected. This summer I’ve made a big shift in what I might want to do, and while it’s exciting, it’s also scary. Annie wished me the best in my ministry, whatever that may look like. I was happy to spend this time in the car with her before we got to camp, especially after experiencing one of my more stressful travel days.
On the evening we arrived at camp, I met the other counselors who I’d be spending the week with. I met Sarah Almanza, who I shared a cabin with along with the CYF girls. Sarah immediately asked me about my summer and how I was feeling as I unpacked, and was just so incredibly kind. I deeply enjoyed the conversations I was able to have with her throughout the week. I met Colin and Karla, who I got to talk and play music with at Campfire and Vespers each night. They’d been playing music at camp for years and had big books of songs to share. I was grateful for their wisdom. I met Doug Collins, who is a friend of my friend Sarah Zuniga and my pastor Zane Ridings. It was so cool to meet Doug! From the very first moment we interacted, I could feel the love and passion he felt for church camp and I was excited to work with him. We were assigned to lead a Chi Rho group during the week (our group name was the Silver Snakes, which I think is pretty awesome). Doug was also a longtime player of music at camp. That first night before any campers showed up, I got together with Karla, Colin and Doug and we played through as many camp songs as we could to prepare ourselves for the various musical moments the week would provide. It was a great way to familiarize myself with new camp songs (surprise–I hadn’t learned them all, even after being at four other camps!) and get to know the people I’d be playing with.
Music on the first night.
The campers arrived the next morning and we got right into camp’s busy schedule. Something unique compared to most of my camps this summer was that Camp Gwinwood was all ages. The youngest camper was five and the eldest was eighteen. This made for a delightful dynamic between campers: they were able to find community in their age groups, small groups, AND across three different age groups. Older campers could be mentors for younger campers, and sometimes the olders learned from the youngers too. And Gwinwood was a place where everyone could safely be themself. Here, away from the outside world of school and difficult family dynamics, these kids could express themselves however they wanted to. That’s what I think is so important about camp, and why our church camps need to be kept alive: they are safe and brave spaces for young people to express who they are in a myriad of ways. This is the kind of space and the kind of world that God dreams of.
One of the coolest activities at camp was the Gwinwood Olympics, a series of team-building games in which campers were divided into groups to compete against each other. I thought the best thing about these Olympics was that each group was mixed in age. The youngest of campers worked with the oldest to work for the gold. The games were truly based on teamwork, not on which group was the fastest. I watched the campers on my team strategize, play, and laugh together and was blown away by their cooperation and kindness. I’ve probably said this several times in one way or another, but I’ll say it again: if these kinds of young people were in charge of the world, it would be full of more love, more joy, more peace.
Teams assemble for the Gwinwood Olympics.
To prepare for the Olympics, the kids made flags that represented who they are. We got to make them too–see if you can spot my dad and I!
Leading a small group with Doug was some of the most fun I had at Gwinwood. The youth in our group were rambunctious yet thoughtful. Even though it was sometimes difficult to wrangle them for our small group meetings, they always had an everlasting energy that got me through the day, especially when I felt like most of my own energy was dwindling. It was a joy to spend time with them, whether we were discussing the keynote of the day, working on an art project, or simply goofing off. Some of the campers started asking me to sit by them at meals and dubbed me one of the “cool” counselors (which is probably the highest compliment a sixth grader can give you). We fell into a rhythm so normal that it felt strange and abrupt to leave on Friday. I cherish all my time spent with my small group and I am so excited for their journeys as they grow up. Silver Snakes are the best!!
Doug sewed us a Silver Snakes flag. So we were clearly the best group.
My dad pointed out that by the middle of the week, every adult had become the child version of themselves. They had all become silly and totally unafraid of judgment from others. I felt that happening to me as the week went on. It was nice to experience the world as if I was a young camper, even though I was also in a position of authority. Despite the “real world” worries that were starting to crop up for me again, I was able to let go of anything other than the present moment. I was able just to be. I eventually realized it felt like I’d been coming to Camp Gwinwood for many years. Maybe it was the familiar PNW landscape, or how many connections I found there, or just how welcome the kids made me feel–but whatever the reason, it felt like a place I could return to in the future. I’m lucky to live so close that it feels like a real possibility to counsel there in the future.
Along with getting to do my workshop a few final times during the week, I was given the opportunity to lead a keynote for the kids and juniors. I’d prepared a keynote based on Philemon 8-17. I had plenty of experience speaking in front of kids, but I had very little experience with talking to them about scripture. I was nervous about whether what I prepared would make sense or be something they could interact with me about, but it went well! We talked about overcoming our judgements of others and accepting them into the family of God no matter who they are. The kids were receptive to the topic and had great contributions to make, and it kind of felt like I was giving a children’s moment in church. I was able to spend time with the younger campers outside of my small group and see the ways they were already thinking about establishing peace in the world.
Each night, we gathered at the campfire to sing songs of fun and worship. Part of this time was spent with the kids, juniors, Chi Rho and CYF, and another part was just Chi Rho and CYF. I watched groups of campers do skits and tell jokes, lead songs out of a camp songbook, and read the words of institution for communion. I loved watching them all take the lead, especially when it was the youth from my small group. Interwoven with all of these parts of the campfire time were the songs we sang. Doug, Colin, Karla and I played classic camp songs to get everybody hyped up, and then ended the night with the slower and more meditative songs. I loved harmonizing with our little music group–it was some of the most sacred time spent at Gwinwood.
Singing with Doug and Colin before campfire started–I believe in this picture we’re singing “Take it Easy” by the Eagles.
Like almost every other camp I’d experienced before this one, we sang the Goodnight Song before sending campers off to bed. If you don’t know this song, it’s one that many church camps sing before bed, whether it’s as a whole group or in cabins (Maggie and Allison can confirm this as well). Here are the words:
Lay down, my sweet sister
Lay down and take your rest
I’m gonna lay your head upon the savior’s breast
I love you, but Jesus loves you best
I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
When sung as a whole group, there are three verses. The verses go “sisters”, “brothers”, then “everybody.” I got used to singing this song all summer, and each time it felt special. At Tall Oaks in Kansas, the girls sang it while sitting together on the couches in the lodge. At Camp Wakon’Da-Ho in Kentucky, we sang it while holding hands in a big circle. At CYLS in Texas, I would hear girls singing it to each other while getting ready for bed. Even during Training Week, Allison and Maggie and I sang it one night as we were walking around the house and turning off the lights. Here at Camp Gwinwood, we were back in a big circle holding hands. And on the very last night of camp, we got in this circle for the last time. As we began to sing, I realized it was my last time singing this song at a camp for my entire Peace Intern Summer. I started to cry. By the time we got to the “everybody” verse, I was a complete sobbing mess. Church camp had brought me instant community wherever I went. It had become a new place to call home. Now, even if temporarily, I was leaving that home. After the song ended, many of the Chi Rho campers came up to me and hugged me. It was as if we’d known each other for many years. One young girl looked me right in the eye and said:
“Come back next year, okay?”
I’ll do my very best to come back. I have no doubt that I’ll find myself back at some, if not all, of the camps I was blessed to travel to this summer. There’s no place like home. Thanks to everyone who read my blog posts this summer and to everyone who has supported me on this journey. I love you, but Jesus loves you best!
The counselors of Camp Gwinwood.