Summertime with Teen Haven

Every year as the weather gets warm, and Teen Haven’s ministry shifts toward summer camp, backpacking adventures, pool visits, and mission trips, I begin to reminisce about my own years of summer camp counseling with the kids here in Lancaster.

Some fond (sometimes funny) memories:
-Reassuring a counselor (all 6’3” 230 lbs of him) near tears because of a rattlesnake blocking our path on a backpacking trip
-Learning how to properly clean off the stench from a well-aimed stink bomb
“Banana Bombardment” (a form of dodgeball with over-ripe bananas), and WWF style wrestling in the creek while cleaning off the residue
-Swimming at Blue Marsh - and my first official opportunity to use my lifeguarding skills on a 14 year old boy who thought he was Mark Spitz
-Kids banging on the door hours before camp was supposed to start, begging to come in early to hang out with the staff – “But Jaaa-aack, I GOTSA TAWKA BEV” (translation – “Please excuse me Mr. Jack, but I really need to speak with my counselor Miss Beverly”)
-Pretending not to be hurt after diving over a couch while introducing a new night game – Mission Impossible
-Hours and hours of basketball (esp. knock-out and roughhouse), flag football, and home-run derby in the 90 degree heat

But the truly priceless memories are:
-The moments of intense conversation and prayers with teens as they came to understand who Jesus really is and who He says they can be
-The late nights in a tent when a kid would beg me to read just a little more from the bible before turning out the flashlight
-Praying with a kid to accept Jesus for the first time
-Praying with a kid about their home or family life
-Seeing a young man or woman take a stand for what is right even when all their friends are heading the other direction

There are many days when I wish I was in the pool, on the court, or under a tree teaching “devos” rather than here in my office. But I thank God that Mike, Jose, Lisette, Andy, Curt, John, Oddet, Vinny, Greg, Gina, James, Aaron, Ginny, Angelo and the others are out there today.

-Jack Crowley, Teen Haven