Encouragement
"I was able
to encourage
kids to face
their fears and
do the things
here at camp
that they really
wanted to do."
By Francesca Bertsen, SMT
At the beginning of the summer, it was really hard for me to try new things and
to push myself past various obstacles that I had to face. However, my fellow Summer
Ministry Team mates helped me push through everything by encouraging me and giving
me a friendly push, both mentally and physically. The first time I went off the zip line, I
freaked out for at least 10 minutes and finally, Logan pushed me off of the wall. Earlier
that day, I had been telling campers to climb up the wall and zip and that it was perfectly
okay, which it is, but I didn’t know how frightening it really was until I had my turn. I must
say, it was pretty terrifying. But, even though I was scared of this new experience, I zipped
because of the encouragement from the people around me. The enthusiasm and positive,
helpful attitude of everyone on staff here is contagious so from that day forward, I was
able to encourage kids to face their fears and do the things here at camp that they really
wanted to, but may have been afraid of. I have felt so much joy this summer just being a
part of this team and getting the opportunity to help the campers and serve the Lord.
This experience on SMT has been so rewarding. Nothing makes you feel better than a kid
telling you “thank you” for helping them face their fears. Even if they don’t say “thank you,”
the joy and excitement on their faces say it all after they go off of the rope swing, the zip,
or any of the other activities we have here. Seeing their faces after doing those things
helped me get through the long hot days I spent lifeguarding or doing rec, so in a way, we
encouraged each other without even knowing it.
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