Week 3 Whitecourt

So volunteer orientation started a lot earlier this week because the pastor there wanted a whole service/potluck for the orientation. We got there early and had dinner and met up with lots of the volunteers and church members there. Afterwards they prepared a mini worship service there and the whole church prayed for the coaches and the camp in general. It was really something I enjoyed and appreciated. Our AIA ministry is more than us coaches coming in and doing the work and leaving. It's about partnering up with the church and working together to help reach the community, and the churches that understand that are far more effective with their camps. So it was really encouraging to see lots of church members at the service just to pray with us, even if they weren't volunteering at camp. That night I found out I would be separated from Ty again, I'd be staying with pastor clay*(coordinator) and his family.

*Actually met pastor clay in edmonton once when I was asked to share my summer with AIA at a church

First day it rained HARD. Before camps even started it was already raining, but it started to clear up as the day went on. The rest of the week was beautiful and we had great weather. We had about 50 some campers this week which was good, especially for a church that was doing it for the first time. Everything ran pretty smoothly this week. (Except thursday where I was sick and had zero energy all day)  But we had some great volunteers and one of the best volunteer appreciations I've ever been to. We had a pizza party with the volunteers and had a pickup soccer game with them and some people from the community which was really fun. I found that this week our team connected really well with the volunteers. Us coaches try make it our goal to really build into the volunteers that we work with as well. I found that the younger volunteers in this camp really seemed to look up to me so I tried my best to be a good example. It was sort of interesting because I never really remember how old I am until I talk to the volunteers. I never really feel like I'm that much older until I realize some of them are just starting high school or something. Then I start to realize I have some bits of wisdom that I can offer, and that a lot of the will actually listen to what I have to say. So it was pretty cool week, I felt like God was using me in more than one way. Not only was I reaching out to the kids but also to the volunteers. I felt like I really made an impact in whitecourt this week, and I'm really happy with how camp went.

I found it quite interesting because just a few weeks ago my boss was telling me that one of the qualities that I've improved on and one that I need to continue to improve on is my leadership skills. And so far this summer I've had many many opportunities to step into leadership roles. Mainly because I'm the only other coach besides the head coach on my team that has had any experience so I've been sharing a lot of head coach duties. It's been great so far and I'm excited for the rest of the summer.