A summer unlike any other

Most of my summers are spent visiting family members, sleeping in late, watching a lot of television, and babysitting in the afternoons and nights. If you had asked me where I would be today a year ago, I would never, ever have guessed Kingston Springs, Tennessee.

Thanks in large parts to HELM, I landed a summer internship at Bethany Hills Camp and Conference Center, the campsite outside of Nashville for Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tennessee. Once again, I believe God was very involved in the planning. I received the application the day before it was due, and my only class that day was cancelled, which gave me time to fill the application out and send it in. Part of me secretly hoped that I wouldn't get the job — I value my sleep very highly and summer is prime napping time! The other, larger part of me desperately wanted the job. It wasn't just a steady paycheck; it was also an opportunity to get paid doing what I love.

I have been attending camp ever since I can remember. Church camp has been the rock of my youth — I have never felt more at home than at camp every summer. Even though I moved a lot during childhood, I was still able to attend church camp every year and that was very important to me. I believe the majority of my growing in faith did not take place inside a church itself — but at church camp. It was there that I felt incredibly close to God in nature and completely able to be myself. My favorite part of volunteering at Central Christian Camp in Guthrie, Okla., last summer was teaching young children about God's plan for them and how much he loves them. I was finally able to understand the true meaning of "having child-like faith." I learned so much from those children. It was my favorite part of my busy summer, and I was delighted to hear that I could be able to do that all of this summer, except this time — be paid for it.

After receiving news that I had gotten the job, I called my stepmother Kathy, who has always been better at organizing my thoughts than I have. I could hear her pulling out her dry-erase board and markers, which we used to plan out the pros and cons of the situation. I eventually decided that I should take the job in a town I had never even visited, instead of staying in Orange, CA, taking a summer class and gambling on being able to get a job around Chapman.

This summer has been the most challenging and worthwhile one of my life. This job is both physically demanding and spiritually rewarding. I love being able to teach children about God and faith, and I am able to learn volumes from them. The night before I left for Nashville, however, I got extremely homesick while alone in my apartment in Orange. I called my mother, sobbing. I haven't seen her since Christmas break in January. She said, "Aly, I miss you a lot and I'm sad I won't get to see you until August, but we are so incredibly proud of you for doing this. I wish I could have had opportunities like this." Our conversation made me feel a lot better. A few weeks ago she sent me a clipboard with cut-out pictures of me and my brother, my cat, and inspirational sayings.

This, along with a few well-placed phone calls every week, has made this difficult job more bearable. I have made lifelong friends, connections, and have deeply grown in my faith. I hope that I will be able to serve again as an intern at Bethany Hills next summer. I am in the final stretch now; there are 4 camps remaining before I finally head home — with more memories and friends than bug bites and tie-dye shirts.