Junior Camp 1 comes to a close...

So, I have survived my first week of Junior Campers. It was not easy but it was a lot of fun at the same time. I'm always amazed at how I come to camp to make in difference in other peoples lives and some how God always ends up having the people make more of an impact on me than I had expected! To some up the week I'm just going to say a few things that I was faced with during my first week.
1. One of my campers was a Celiac as well as Lactose intolerant. This made having meals as a group a little more difficult. I learned how to be careful with labels and made sure to double check every single food that went into this girls mouth.
2. I learned how to discipline without actually having to discipline. 2 of my favorites for bedtime. Girls the next word that comes out of your mouth I will take a minute off of your free time. 2, The next person who talks is waking up early tomorrow morning. These two work wonders especially if they love free time and sleep.
3. I learned that little words can go a long way. By one camper saying to another camper "be quiet" this can mean so many more things when one of the campers is having an off day. This happened to me. One girl to another to be quiet the next thing I know there is a girl running into the room in tears because of these 2 simple words.
4. Skittles are more than just a candy. They are a game. Kind of like truth or dare. Each color represents a different action you must do. Example, red= camp crush, purple= counselor approved dare, green= embarrassing moment, yellow= say something nice to someone else, orange= your favorite bible verse. It's especially a lot of fun when lights are out and you are playing with the light of glow sticks.
5. Kids say the funniest things. That's pretty self explanatory but there have been many times this week when I have burst into laughter because of what a camper has said.

Finally, tomorrow I get 6 young teen campers. Please be praying for this week because it is this age group that I struggle relating with the most. During the jr. high years of life kids are at a very awkward stage of life, they are trying to figure out who they are, they are growing, they are emotional, and they are confused. This was the worst 3 years of my life. Pray that I would be a positive and enthusiastic influence in the lives of these jr highers!