I spent my first week of camp at Camp WaKon’Da-Ho in the beautiful hills of Yosemite, Kentucky. After leaving Indianapolis last weekend I spent Saturday night in Louisville with a young high school teacher who is also a P.K. and a youth group sponsor. We spent Saturday afternoon watching the Belmont Stakes and cheering for our newest Triple Crown winner! Sunday afternoon, the two of us drove from Louisville to Yosemite to prepare for the campers to arrive on Monday morning.
In addition to being a cabin counselor and helping to lead a small group, I had the opportunity to lead interest groups focused on different elements of peace. I got the chance to facilitate a discussion about different issues of the campers’ choosing, topics ranged from derogatory slang, to being an accepting community, and how these are affected by a shared Disciples identity. A few campers and I also took some time to create a labyrinth for meditation and reflection. However, the use of the labyrinth was limited due to a series of thunderstorms that rolled in shortly after we finished painting it. Luckily, next week’s campers will put the labyrinth to good use.
However, the most powerful element of my first week is the incredible relationships I built with the staff, my fellow counselors, and the campers. The warm welcome and accepting community was an outstanding example of the radical peace that can be demonstrated when all are committed to it.