My first year on Teen Staff was the summer before my sophomore year. I had heard about it from a friend of mine. Before she told me about it, I didn’t know Youthfront camps existed, but after listening to her talk about her experiences, I knew it was something that I needed to be a part of. My first summer, I dove in head first and volunteered for five weeks. My life changed my first week of Teen Staff. It was during that first week that I truly felt The Lord’s presence in my life. The spiritual formations that we do everyday have helped me learn how to set aside time during the day to be in the Word and also how to find God in everything.
One other important thing that I have learned through my experience is how to live in a community with other people. I have been blessed to be able to spend these past three summers surrounded by other believers. Every person at camp is there for a common purpose, and that is to worship God through service. I have learned so much from the people around me, whether it is a Summer Staffer sharing a life experience with me, or a fellow Teen Staffer sitting down with me and just talking about life and Jesus. Youthfront is not just a camp; it is a community of encouragement.
Teen Staff is one of the hardest things I have ever done both emotionally and physically. We work…A LOT, but it is the most rewarding work I have ever done. I have learned a lot about myself through this program. I have learned that praising God through service is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Also, that God definitely places people in our lives for a reason. Finally, I have learned that God can truly be seen in everyone and everything, and that it is definitely possible to survive on ZERO sleep and crummy camp coffee.
So, I guess to sum it up, God is good and His hand is definitely in Teen Staff and throughout the rest of the camp. The Lord has created such a special place in the middle of nowhere Kansas, and it is only through His grace that I have been able to be a part of it.
MaryJane Palodichuk, Teen Staff at Youthfront Camp West
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