Topic: A volunteer experience and its impact on my life.

     Every experience, every activity, and every person I have encountered so far in my life has, in some way or another, impacted me and changed me. However, there is one particular opportunity I have every summer to help impact and change others. Nothing in my life has been more rewarding than being a camp counselor, and watching the hearts of younger children change and grow.

     I first volunteered to be a counselor at Camp Wow, a Catholic summer camp for middle school students, because of my own experiences as a camper. Camp is where I first found Christ and began my relationship with Him, and it was a place that I could come back to each summer, just when I always needed a “refresher” in my faith. My first summer as a counselor, I went simply expecting to have another fun-filled week similar to my weeks as a camper, the only difference being that I would be leading the activities instead of being instructed.  I was completely unprepared for what was in store for me that week.

     Though the camp is for middle school students, I firmly believe that you are impacted and changed the most when you become a counselor. By spending the week ministering to campers from all kinds of backgrounds, teaching them about Christ and our Catholic faith, and helping them to change their hearts, I have really come to see the workings of Christ through the camp, more so than I ever did when I was a camper.

     At the beginning of the week, I had a small group of ten hyperactive sixth and seventh graders who could barely sit still long enough for me to ask a simple question like, “When are some good times to pray?” But by the end of the week, I saw transformations. My pair of chatty girls was suddenly opening up about God and how they wanted to change their lives. The three antsy boys went from throwing sticks at each other to inquiring about Christ’s sacrifice for us. The change I had started in them was obvious as I witnessed their complete changes of heart.

     The campers helped me to realize that I was there for them. It was ALL for them. Since that first year as a counselor, I have gone back twice, and will again this upcoming summer. Camp has become what I look forward to after school is out for the summer, and it is now so much more than just a refresher. I live for that moment when I see "my kids" go from being hyperactive middle school students to being children of God. Though I give all credit to Christ, my heart swells when I see how I’ve been able to help them see their worth in His eyes. I now take complete advantage of this week I have to focus on them and do Christ’s work more fully in the lives of those who need me.