We are back!! Here is a glimpse into our summers:
Devyn’s Summer
To describe my summer in one word: goodness. The summer started off with one of my best friends passing away. Of course, I was upset he was gone, but all I could feel was peace. He finally got to be with the one person who would never let him down. He could show off his goofy smile for all of eternity… with Jesus; how cool is that?
So the transition into camp was difficult, I wanted him to be there; however, it was so good to be surrounded by all of the people who know him and love him as much as I do. The first few weeks were random crying spells, a lot of stress, and wanting to quit. I almost went home. Leah told me that Dylan believed in me and I knew I did too. I wanted to stick this out, if not for me, for him.
It was the best decision. Once we got in the swing of things, I had more trouble staying away from camp. I didn’t want to leave the people that pushed me to work harder every day, the people that picked me up when I was down, and in all seriousness the people who bring me the most joy in the world.
This summer was all about sainthood for me. The theme of camp was The Way of a Saint: Prayer, Care, Share, and with Dylan’s example, it seemed so much more attainable. Like, yeah, I heard it over and over that, I could be on an icon and hold a staff or a bouquet of flowers and change the world, but then again, I don’t know if I ever believed it. Getting to open these kids’ hearts to the joy that Dylan had and to his mission we all shared, to form a unique bond with Jesus was such a great blessing to me and all of the staff. I couldn’t have done it without him honestly. This was definitely a summer for the books.
Leah’s Summer
Last summer at Camp Tekakwitha was a beautiful catalyst for my journey with Christ. After a year of immense growth and conviction, I was excited to share what I learned with the staff and my campers during my second summer at my favorite place.
The beginning came with a lot of challenges and adjustments. Last summer, I became good friends with a guy named Dylan. He passed away a week before we were both supposed to return to camp. While this was incredibly hard to go through, it was such a gift to be surrounded by people who knew and loved him well. It fostered a very special bond for those of us affected by this loss.
As a returning staff member, it was so good to continue growing relationships that began last summer. In general, I just felt more comfortable and confident in my role as a counselor. The theme “The Way of a Saint” had a major impact on me. I realized that the call to sainthood is now and is for everyone! Shoutout to my girl Blessed Chiara Corbella Petrillo for helping me share this realization with my campers. (For context, she died in 2012 and her son isn’t even 10 yet and she is well on her way to becoming a Saint.) Saints are still being made every single day, people!!
I was carried by God’s grace. With exhausting long days and homesick campers and a heavy heart, I would not have made it through this summer without the Father’s abounding grace. He wants to make every single one of us into a great Saint. We just have to be open.
Ava’s Summer
This Summer I had the amazing privilege of spending the entire summer in the heart of beautiful Colorado with FOCUS. I was very scared at first to spend my entire summer in a completely different place with people who I have never met before. But I also knew that God had a plan for me in Colorado so I laid my trust in that.
The beginning of my summer was actually really difficult. Not only did I have mass, talks to attend, fellowship activities, adoration, bible study, and discipleship but I also had to work 40 hours a week. And I tried to do it all and let me tell you, it was hard. I quickly became exhausted and was not finding joy in anything I was doing because I was so tired and caught up on what I needed to do next. By the middle of the summer, I became very frustrated with God. Why would he let my summer go like this? I thought he had great plans for me here and yet I felt farther away from him than before I came to Colorado.
It wasn’t until I went to spiritual direction for the first time, that I realized my point of being at Summer projects. I had come to Colorado with a lot of baggage, and overall there were just a lot of people I needed to forgive in my life. The biggest one being myself. I will go to confession and “accept” the Lord’s forgiveness but I will never let myself dwell in his mercy because I never forgive myself. This priest made me realize that I was at Summer projects for all the things that I desired to do but I was mainly there to be given the freedom to begin again. I was in a new place, with new people and new experiences and the Lord wanted this all for me so that I can begin a new life with him. Lay down my baggage and begin a new. St. Bernadette once said, “Begin again. That’s the beauty of being alive… We can always start all over again.” And that’s what I need to do.
After that point, I prioritized God, dwelled in his Mercy, and left Colorado with a new life in Christ. Realizing that HEsus is above all in his MErcy, including myself, so if he can forgive me, I have no reason not to forgive myself. I miss Colorado and those people of Summer Projects more and more, but we are all connected in the Eucharist, and I pray that our paths will meet again. If I ahd to describe my summer briefly, I would simply say, Jesus is my Lord.
Fearfully Made 