First Week at Camp Nathanael

It's finally here, the first week of ministry at Camp Nathanael!

I have the privilege to serve as Camp's Program Staff Lead while Ali is working as a cook and a First Aid provider. As the Program Staff Lead (PSL) I lead Camp's paid staff team through mentorship and check-ins as well as keeping a pulse on our inter-staff relationships and dynamics. Meanwhile Ali is unfortunately confined to the kitchen where she, our head cook Kaitlyn and two other cooks prepare meals for the Staff and Noncoms.

Speaking of Noncoms, this last week has been the first of two training weeks dedicated to helping prepare the Noncoms for the summer of ministry. Between daily group devotionals, training sessions, grounds work, lifeguard training, and morning runs, myself and the staff have been working round the clock to train this year's team of Noncoms. I should mention to you, dear reader, that a Noncom is a Camp Nathanael nickname for our teenage volunteer Counselors. The Noncoms are pivotal to Nathanael's ministry of Raising up young men to be Christ-Following Leaders. As such, our two weeks of Noncom training are an important time as we help these guys get ready for the 6 and 1/2 weeks of Camp Ministry.

More specifically I have gotten to lead a cabin of Noncoms, eating meals with them, playing night games with them, and doing evening devotions with them. More than this, each of our Noncoms have a list of requirements they need to complete before the end of training. These requirements include memorizing the Romans Road, preparing a 3 minute Gospel presentation, telling their testimony, and writing evening devotionals for their future cabins. Helping the Noncoms complete these requirements and succeed during training has been such a blessing and a joy.

We finished this first week off by having our annual canoe trip down the Brule River in Northern Wisconsin. We drive the Noncoms and Staff out to a landing and over the course of two days canoe roughly 28 miles down the river. The Brule river is a white water canoe trip with lots of rapids and rocks for everyone to navigate boldly with their partner. By the end of day two the canoeists (because "canoer" apparently isn't a word) reach the mouth of the river which opens up into Lake Superior.

All in all, it has been a successful first week of Training and I look forward to sharing more with you, dear reader, very soon!

Blessings,

Levi R Miller