Vounteer Spotlight

Heaven on earth

My weekend at Camp was, without question, one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I am forever changed by it. I went to Camp Barnabas to serve God, but I received far, far more than I gave. All the accounts were right. Camp Barnabas is HEAVEN on EARTH. I will be making trips there for the rest of my life.  

After spending only two days at Camp, I’ve really struggled to make sense out of things since. This began almost immediately after leaving Camp. The closer I got to home, the closer I got to returning to the “real” world, the more depressed I became. Why? Life at Camp is so incredibly fulfilling. There’s something that feels very pure and natural about it, maybe because life at Camp is life the way God intended it to be. After leaving a place like Camp, aka Heaven on Earth, the “real” world seems like a pretty dark and grim place. It’s much harder to find fulfillment in life in the “real” world after you’ve experienced life in the REAL “real” world, life as God intended it. Sufficed to say, I’ve been in a bit of a post-Camp funk, but after struggling with these and many other thoughts, I think I’ve come to a beautiful conclusion.  

When I’m sitting in traffic…standing in line at some retail store…when the drudgery of the workday sets in…I close my eyes and I think of Camp. I hear what surely must be the world’s greatest rendition of Monster Mash. I see beaming smiles of pure joy as wheelchairs obliterate pumpkins and the men and women accustomed to sitting in those wheelchairs have the times of their lives on the backs of horses. I see the guys from B1, an amazing group of men filled with joyous love for God, working together to get ready in the morning. I hear those same guys praying the most beautiful prayers before turning out the lights at night. I hear over a hundred amazing, beautiful people singing as one to God in Heaven. I see birds soaring high above my new favorite place on Earth, I.P., where my soul is so profoundly moved by the overwhelming presence of God. When I think of these things, when I think of Camp, I see…and hear…and feel…LOVE…the purest, most divine love.  

When I see, hear, and feel that incredible Godly love, nothing, not traffic, or work, or any of the often petty and mundane nuances of daily life in the “real” world…NOTHING can steal my joy. So, if you’re like me and have been experiencing camp withdrawals, go back every chance you get. I know I will. In all the time in between, I’m going to pretend I never left. How beautiful life will be if I can live and love everyday in the “real” world the way I lived and loved during that amazing weekend at Camp. After all, who would ever want to leave Heaven on Earth?  

Thank you to the ever amazing young woman (and a few other incredible people) who played such a HUGE role in leading me to Camp Barnabas. Words cannot express my gratitude to you. Thank you to all of the awesome, beautiful people I was so truly blessed to meet, love, and serve with. B1, you guys totally rock! Seriously…you are amazing and I love you. May God bless each and every one of you. Lastly, and most importantly, thank you God. Camp Barnabas has left me more madly in love with you than I ever thought possible.