After
going to camp every summer for 12 years, I had the honor and privilege of
getting to work on the staff at SMBC. Coming to camp as a camper, I remember
how amazing the staff seemed and, then, I got to be one of them! I couldn't re-post my memories as a camper without also re-posting some of my memories from the years I worked on staff....
I remember the very first day that I drove up to start my summer at camp.
Everybody had come up on Saturday and I had to come late because I was doing my
Junior Marshal duties at the LHS graduation. As I arrived, I drove up to the
dining hall and remember seeing the road leading up to the dining hall filled
with other members of the staff. They were all raking leaves from the ditch on
the left side to the embankment of woods on the other side. I remember
thinking “Thank God I had to come late.” I’m sure, however, that I ended up
with an equally glamorous job like sweeping the road or cleaning bathrooms.
I remember learning to present the Gospel using the clean heart/dirty heart
illustration. I remember actually using that in a devotion with a sweet group
of girls and their counselor in Cabin #7 in the village. I remember what it
felt like when 3 of those girls went up to accept Christ as their Savior during
the invitation on Thursday night and counseling with them afterwards.
I remember all the wonderfully yummy things that Stephanie would make for the
staff. The thing standing out the most right now is the gourmet peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches (so simple, yet so delicious). I know that most of the
time, she probably loved doing it, but it was nice to get those little
surprises that made us feel special.
I remember the first toilet that I had to unclog. It wasn’t a simple task. You
see, kids don’t seem to have the common sense to stop using a toilet when it is
no longer flushing. I had to put my hand/arm into a garbage bag and commence
scooping out the contents of the toilet. Trust me, not much else can faze you
after that. On that note, I remember the guys staff having to spend every free
moment that first summer digging up septic tanks around camp.
I remember the “sleepovers” that we used to have in girls staff. Yes, we all
lived on the same floor – or in the same room – and we still had sleepovers. We
gathered up on one person’s bed and stayed up talking into the wee hours of the
morning. I think that we even had 6 people sleeping in Michelle’s twin bed that
one time.
I remember when the dining hall and the kitchen were not air conditioned! I
remember misting each other with water and fanning each other with the orange
and brown trays, looking for stuff in the deepest part of the refrigerator, or
eating your meal in the dry cooler. And if you did eat your meal in the dry
cooler, that usually meant partaking of the brownie bites, mini muffins, pecan
twirls and other wonderful goodies that Jerry brought to us from the bakery
outlet every week.
I remember how I can never, for the rest of my life, hear the songs “Adonai”
and “I Get on My Knees” without instead singing “Chocolate Pie” and “Broccoli
and Cheese.” I’m sorry, Jaci Valasquez.
I remember, on a similar note, all the staff skits that may or may not have
been successful. Some notables are Peppermint Milkshake, Prudance Pureheart,
Beans, The Blender (It wasn’t my idea but, Mary, I’m still sorry!), The No
Power Team, “Cheesecake Will still Be There” (Jordan, you were the cutest slice
of cheesecake!), and “Sloppy Joes and Jello.” Oh the things we do to impress or
get a laugh out of the campers.
I remember singing “Testify to Love” at the top of our lungs in the kitchen.
And I still have a vivid image of Jessica using a serving spoon as a
“microphone” while doing so. I also recall how we managed to ad lib almost to
the point of ruining or doing a parody of every song imaginable (like my
favorite: “More Hate, More Evil”).
I remember Sunday night devotions with the staff, being able to study together
and share our highs and lows about our weeks at camp. Some of the studies were
great and there might have been some that weren’t the best
(*coughHowNowShallWeLivecough*). Overall, it was simply a highlight to
fellowship with each other in a relaxed setting where we weren’t cooking or
cleaning or tending to the kids.
I remember
the staff trips/vacations that we took. One up to Anita’s house to go tubing in
Deep River….and those horrible shoes that Michelle and I bought. Another to our
campout at the beach. It was fun, but I definitely learned that tent camping at
the beach is not for me. There was the trip to see that play in Cherokee where
it rained and we had to come home before it ended. And then we had all the
other little trips to go out to eat as a staff (Smokey Creek, Shatley Springs,
Kobe’s, Jiggers). I loved getting to hang out away from camp.
I remember our pool wars on Sunday nights after devotion. Crazy how getting
dunked over and over and held in impossible wrestling grips (Lawson) can be so
much fun. Sometimes, this had the dual purpose of helping to spread the chemicals
around the pool. Please tell me how none of us ever came away with
rashes/chemical burns…
I remember Silver Boxes. I also remember the year that we added subliminal
messages to our silver box messages. [i.e. “thanks for being such a great
friend (I wish you’d leave me alone). Love in Christ, Miranda”]
I remember all the little mishaps that seemed to happen. Like when Andrew/Abu
tried to ‘walk up the wall’ on stage and put a nice big hole in it. Or the
night that Suzanne fell off the side of the road and sprained her ankle. Or all
the times that the trash truck didn’t want to run properly, etc.
I remember pulling pranks on people. No one was exempt really. Of course we
played pranks on other staff. There were some harmless pranks on campers
(Mattress Man!), on band members, and speakers. Sometimes the “pranks” on the
speakers were things they never even knew about….like posting their picture on
hotornot.com. :)
I remember always looking out for 'Jesus'…and how every time he showed up at
camp we all suddenly went into panic mode. And, most of the time, everybody had
something that they couldn’t find afterwards because it got thrown in some
random place….like a washing machine, a refrigerator that doesn’t work, or a
garbage can that was hidden in somebody’s car.
I remember going into all the random, hidden places at camp on Friday mornings
trying to find some crazy piece of junk…I mean, some wonderful hidden camp
treasure…to give to the speaker as a gift to remember us by.
Honestly, I could go on forever….especially if I started to get into any
personal memories with individual staff members or church groups. Most of all,
I remember SMBC as a place that I learned to love and serve God…a place where I
heard some of the most amazing speakers and met the most amazing people, many
of whom became the best friends I’ll ever know.
