|
Savanah Price is excited for another summer at camp, this time as part of our Program Team!  Tell us a bit about yourself!
“I am currently going into my fourth year at Columbia Bible College to get my BA in Youth Work. I also work with YoungLife as a leader. I love adventuring, photography, the outdoors, and travelling.” What can you tell us about your program role? “I am the head cabin leader this summer, which means I will be overseeing the senior cabin leaders. I will be cabin leading and being the example of a cabin leader. I will also be running some sessions during staff training and run staff meetings. The goal is to equip leaders in leading, discipling, and growing in their relationship with Jesus.” How was your life growing up in regards to faith? “I became a Christian at Charis at age 7, yet I did not grow up in a Christian home and didn’t take my faith and my relationship with God seriously until grade 12. God has done some amazing life-saving events in my life that lead me to believe that I could never doubt His existence and power. I am currently in an amazing spot with Jesus and He has been so faithful in healing and guidance this year and going into the summer.” How did you get involved with camp? “I have been part of Charis for the last 14 years and started attending at age 6. A family friend told my mom about this place, so I went and haven’t stopped going. I have gone from camper (of all camps) to LIT to senior cabin leader to now head cabin leader, and I am beyond excited. This place has been my safe haven and has truly been a place where I have found Jesus and have learned to be a leader, a follower, and how to disciple. My life has been impacted greatly from this place and I am forever grateful for Charis and who it has made me to be.” What’s your favourite camp memory? “Playing a mini version of ‘the tough mudder’ and dislocating and breaking my thumb on the last day of camp. I went to the hospital begging my mom to go back to camp because I couldn't miss formal night, and I stuck it out and came back to camp just in time for formal night.” Why did you decide to be at camp this summer? “God called me back and Charis has done so much to me and for me that I feel like I need to give everything I have back to the place because it gave me the best gift—Jesus. I owe all I have to help another camper know Jesus and feel His love like I have. I also love working with youth and it is my main passion and calling!” How has God challenged you recently? “Where do I start…I took a program called Freedom Session and it has been the most challenging year I have had since high school. I have been challenged by God to forgive people I never thought I would, to apologize to people I have hurt, and to be honest about my struggles and open up about my deepest secrets and hurts. Now I am going into a position at camp that will stretch me, challenge me and grow me and I am scared, nervous...but above all so excited.” What do you expect from God this summer? “I expect to grow, to be challenged and to rely on God more and more each day in strength and patience. I hope that I will come out of this season feeling like I have grown in my areas of leadership, discipleship, and my relationship with God.” We are beyond excited to have Savanah with us as our head cabin leader! Want to financially support Savanah as she serves and heads back to school in the fall? Click here! Cassidy Carbonneau is a lovely part of our Summer Program Team, using her talents as our worship leader!  What can you tell us about your program role? Cassidy will be the worship leader for camp this summer! She’ll be in charge of putting together a team, preparing the songs, and leading camp in worship. “I want to create a culture of raw, authentic worship during the different camps,” she says. She will also be the LIT (leader-in-training) co-head with Carissa Wiens (you’ll meet Carissa later :) ). How did you get connected with Charis? Cassidy didn’t plan on coming to Charis! She actually applied to be an LIT (leader-in-training) at a different camp where her friends were going. Since Darren Duncalfe, the Executive Director of Charis Camp, was her pastor for most of her life, she asked him if he would be her pastoral reference for her LIT application. “He was like, ‘Totally! But if, for whatever reason, it doesn’t work out, come to Charis! We’d love to have you and we have an LIT program.’ For whatever reason, the other camp never got my application, so I ended up going to Charis.” How has camp impacted your life? “I was 16 or 17 when I first came to camp, and at that point I was starting to understand what it means to have your own faith—exploring that for the first time.The theme [for that year] was “Really Wild and Truly Free” and Galatians 5:1 stuck with me ever since: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” I never had even heard of freedom in Christ. Hearing that and understanding what that looks like was a huge pivotal point for me. I finally understood what Jesus was all about.” What is your favorite camp memory? “It was my first LIT year during the night game and it was my birthday the next day. We were running around on the field. I remember two campers coming up to me and were like, ‘It’s your birthday! Happy birthday!’ That was so sweet—these little ten year olds care so much. The night games have actually been some of my favorite memories.” Why did you choose to be here this summer? “I never even considered not coming to camp this summer. Especially after last year, being on program, having a different role—it felt right. Camp worship is my pinnacle moment—I love it so much. It’s so cool seeing the progression over the week as campers get excited about what they’re singing. Kids will be bouncing around and dancing and screaming and it’s so fun.” How has God challenged you recently? “God has been challenging me to listen, to be okay with just sitting. I feel like I always have to be doing something in order to be connecting with Jesus, when sometimes He just wants us to sit in His presence and listen to Him. When it comes to leading worship, I’ve been challenged in being attentive to the Spirit and how He wants to use worship this summer, how He wants to interact with it. Also, He’s been challenging me to trust Him because it’s getting close to summer and I still don’t have a full worship team.” On that note (shameless plug), Cassidy is still in need of a drummer, a bassist, and a lead guitar player. If you know anyone who might be interested in joining the camp worship team, please contact Cassidy at ccassidycarbonneau@gmail.com . What are your plans for the future? “I am planning on doing early childhood education [in the fall]. It’s funny because when I took this year off, I thought I would never go back to school—there’s no way you could get me to go back. And now I’m doing it by choice. It feels like the right timing and the right program, so I’m excited.” We are thrilled to have Cassidy and her talents on the team again this year! If you would like to support Cassidy as she serves at camp and prepares to head off to school in the fall, donate here! Junia Reinhardt is back! She is in charge of Community Life this summer, focusing on building relationships and connecting people to each other and to Christ.  How was your life growing up in regards to faith?
“My entire family, including my extended family, is Christian, loves Jesus, and that’s a cool legacy. I grew up learning about Jesus, asking a lot of questions, and figuring out this faith thing with a lot of support and encouragement from my parents. Did I become a Christian when I prayed the sinner’s prayer at age five? I guess so, but the Christian life is a journey. It never really stops. It’s continuous. Even now, I still ask lots of questions and read books and grow in love for Jesus and maturity (hopefully!).” How has camp impacted your life? “It’s made me a better leader,” she says. “It forces me to take charge, to step out, take responsibility. I’ve learned that I’m an extrovert—or, more of an extrovert than I thought.” However, camp has directly impacted Junia in her career choice as well. “I loved being a cabin leader, but I knew I couldn’t do this full time, so I thought, ‘What’s the closest thing to being a cabin leader?’ So I became a teacher. I just finished my Bachelor of Education and now I’m teaching a grade six class, so camp has made a huge impact even on my career.” What’s your favourite camp memory? “When I was cabin leading for Teen Camp, our cabin woke up in the early morning, took all the shoes that were not on the shoe rack, and strung the shoes across the pool with a rope. Only one shoe got wet! We had to jump the fence to do it—and we got pied for it—but it was so worth it.” Don’t get any ideas for this year. ;) How has God challenged you recently? “God is challenging me in confession and repentance. It’s one thing to know the Gospel and know it well; it’s another to get it, fully grasping the sense of grace—oh right, I need this. And though I’ve been a Christian for so many years, I am surprised—because I still am learning this. For these times of confessing to God, He is always willing to meet you where you are.” What are your expectations for this summer? For Junia, looking towards the future means reflecting on past summers as well. “Camp is community built,” she says. “It’s different year by year, and it’s hard not to be nostalgic but instead I have to understand that this isn’t my camp; this is God’s camp. Camp is all about connecting—and growing as disciples.” What can you tell us about your program role? This year, Junia will be in charge of community life, focusing on connecting people to other people through encouragement boards, prayer, and registration. It’s all about building relationships with parents and staff and kids. She will also be planning a lot of Camp Champ Challenge and Prospectors camp. “For Prospectors, I’m most excited to be outside and be around the campfire,” she says. What are you excited for in the future? Camp isn’t the only thing Junia is looking forward to. In a few weeks, she will be heading to Nova Scotia to help build a cabin. And to finish off the year, after graduating university, serving at camp, and building a cabin, she is getting married in December! We look forward to what God has planned for this summer and for Junia! |
RSS Feed
|
Quick Links |
Contact UsIf you have any questions or comments please reach out to us, we'd love to hear from you.
Phone: 604-794-7790 Email: info@chariscamp.com |
|