By Joyce Zeigen, Warm Beach Camp Store Manager

A cabin of boys came as part of a big group, already aware of who the “problem” was. They made it pretty obvious by their attitude and comments toward him. Their camp counselor, Simba, could see how the camper’s antics got him labeled as a problem. So Simba decided to take action, using the power of words and the heart of Christ. Instead of thinking of this camper as a problem, he renamed him as a child of God needing love and grace.

Simba looked for opportunities throughout the week to positively reconnect the group of boys, demonstrating empathy and good friendship behavior instead of sharp words. By the end of the week, the boys in the cabin were renewed in knowing each one of them is a child of God, a son of the Father.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” – Proverbs 12:18

Warm Beach Camp counselors do much more than supervise campers all week. They listen, share, model good behavior, and love each of their campers (even those with extra grace required). They understand the power of camp and look for opportunities to be a beacon of light in the lives of the youth who come here. It doesn’t matter if the campers are part of a large church group, are rich or poor, or have never heard the Gospel. The counselors work hard to treat all campers as equals and provide them with an opportunity to grow in Christ and know they are loved.