This was paraphrased from one of the ministers I met this summer. Robin Blakemore is the transitional regional minister for the Nebraska region and someone I look up to and seek to emulate in my own ministry. After hearing her deliver a similar message on the penultimate day of Kamp Kaleo, I adopted the following for the rest of the summer:
"In a handful of hours, we will go home. Our friends, family, and other support structures will all ask us a similar question, "How was camp?". We'll tell them about everything we learned, all the food we ate, all the nature we witnessed, and how amazing the week was. And our family will smile and tell us how wonderful that sounds, but they won't really get it. The truth of the matter is, they were not at camp that week; they did not go to the same vespers we did, they did not meet the same faith leaders we did, they did not witness God's presence the same way we did while we were at camp for a short time. It's easy to be detached from the real world while we're at camp for a week. There are no errands to run, there is no social media, there are no school assignments to complete. Camp is a community in God's majesty and nothing more (Including AC sometimes). But that is also what makes camp so special."
It is crucial that we share the lessons we learned at camp both explicitly and implied. In the 21st century, I believe that we in the Disciples of Christ are called to be Chrsitians of action not Christians of talk. At the end of the summer I hope people can see what I stand for rather than hearing me drone on about what I think is right and wrong. This summer has truly been a blessing, and I am eternally grateful for all the love and support I have gotten from my friends and family. I am especially grateful for all the people I met this summer, both in-person and via correspondence through DPF. May God bless and keep you all and I pray that together, we will continue to be a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”