Heart of a Servant
Hi Swamp Blog Readers!
Welcome back to the blog. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Registration for camp is in full swing, and you can sign up at this link. You can also visit that link to sign up for volunteer, as well as, full time positions for summer camp 2019.
Also, the Mother Son Retreat will be held on March 22-24, and the Daddy Daughter Retreat will be held on April 26-28. Click this link to register, and join us for some great bonding time!
Servant of All
This week, I found something that reminded me of camp, as I was reading through the gospel of Mark. It's a scripture that is very applicable to those considering serving at camp this summer. It says:
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
-Mark 9:35-37
While reading this, I was reminded of the value of serving at camp in God's eyes. Then, I thought of the world's standard of success and how being the "very last" or "servant of all" are usually the last things on people's minds.
Yet, while serving little children may be the last thing on people's minds, Jesus says that to be the first, you must be the servant of all. And, in another verse Jesus says of himself, "The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve." Service is of high value in God's eyes. And, this scripture in Mark emphasizes the importance of serving children, in particular.
What a great opportunity Camp Swamp provides in being able to become like Jesus in this way!
I really wanted to share this thought with you all, seeing as now is the time to start making decisions about your summer plans. While the world may see summer as a time solely for enjoyment or solely for advancing your job or career, it can be a great opportunity to serve God's children, as well.
Swamp Values
One more thing that I wanted to touch on was the Swamp values paragraph. Everyone applying to serve at the Swamp must fill out a paragraph detailing which of the Swamp values is their greatest strength and which value they would like to work on this summer. This is something that I want to encourage you to take to heart.
Every summer that I've served at camp, the values have really helped me to be focused and engaged with my mission of serving. Of course, none of us knows exactly what God is going to teach us at camp until we get there, but going in confident in your greatest asset and determined about your area of growth can really make a big difference in your effectiveness at camp.
The values are all really important, and having so many means that everyone has a role to fill. If you don't know what the Swamp values are, visit the website to find out! Also, don't forget to turn in your recommendations and background checks if you need to do that as part of your application.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful week. I also hope that you will feel it in your heart to serve at one of the greatest places on earth this summer!
Until next week...
Much Love & Respect,
Julie