Hi my name is Kristy and this was my first year as a special camp aide. I was asked by our directors, Stephanie & Christine to speak about how my first year at special camp went and I feel honored to be able to come before special camp and college camp and share my testimony about the week.
So a little back story: I attended mt hermon from jr high to the first year of senior high and this is my first year back since then. Honestly, my previous thoughts on mt hermon were not so amazing. I know I gave my life to Christ during this camp but all I can remember from my time here was the gossip and the drama. I feel ashamed to say that today. Because of this, I never thought I would come back and I most definitely did not think I would be able to stand in front of all of you and share this story. But God is so good and even when I was unfaithful to Him, He has never forsaken me. He led me back here and gave me the most life-changing, unbelievable experience I could have ever imagined. And today, I get the privilege of sharing that with all of you.
Coming into special camp, I had no idea what to expect - as would anyone else. I just heard so many amazing things about it and because I studied ABA (applied behavior analysis) and work in the field, I thought it would be something fun to try. How many Christian ministries have something like this for their special needs community? It's very rare to find something this beautiful. To sum up my experience in one word it's this - humbling. This was, hands down, the most humbling experience of my life. I'm sure you all know the story about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet. I've heard it so many times and I didn't even grow up in the church so i'm sure some of you have heard it so much more. Even then, I never knew what that kind of humility felt like. Not humility as in embarrassment but as in humbleness. People here praised me for my education and experience in the field but I want to tell you that these are some of the most incredible people I have ever met, campers and also aides. And no degree or job could have prepared me for this week. They told me at the beginning of camp that we were going to see a lot of "God sightings" - what they didn't tell me was that every single second of being here was a God sighting. To put some things into context - most, if not all of these aides have been here for almost 10-20 years and for some, even more. They watched these campers grow up and they've attended some of their funerals, they've brushed their teeth, combed their hair, bathed them, cleaned them, changed them, fed them, and have loved them almost like another parent. You must be thinking, who would sign up for this one time? Let alone 20 + times? This staff. Why? Because being with these campers, and one another, radically changes your faith. You experience God's love on a level you can't even imagine. I'm not saying this to persuade anyone to sign up. But you know when people tell you to share the good news? I feel like i'm blessed with the opportunity to share the good news of this camp by telling you about this week. My cabin leader, Thelma, wonderfully explained why this was such a special camp to be a part of. The sincerity of the campers and staff. I have never seen a group of individuals worship so freely and joyously. Their worship wasn't just limited to the meeting room, everywhere they went felt like a worship service. This entire camp sings about God's everlasting, never-failing, never-changing love because they know what that truly means. I have seen so many people (teachers, peers, and even parents/families of children with special needs) who look so down upon the special needs community. Like Jesus, people with special needs have been persecuted. However, also like Jesus, the aides and campers here today get the joy and freedom of knowing and experiencing God's everlasting love. You would assume we're the one's teaching them but you have no idea how much the 3 women in my cabin have taught me. Dana taught me the importance of patience and most importantly, that there should never be a limit to how much you pray. Even if you're stressed or exhausted, there's always something to praise God about and someone or something to pray for. Christine taught me to always be joyful - even when circumstances aren't fair or right - God is always so so good. And Lacey showed me the purity of God's love and joy. She showed me what living and worshipping joyfully really meant. I wish I could tell you all more but please believe me when I say there will never be enough words to describe how special this week was. So, to end, I want to thank Steph and Christine for directing this year and for allowing me to share my experience today and thank you to every camper and aide for the most memorable week. Most importantly, praise God that we were able to come together this year and we give Him all the glory for this week's success!