
Then off you go packing up Home in the Woods. You struggle forever trying to roll up your sleeping bag, ‘til Macey comes over and helps you. Then you all fold up the gigantic tarp. You walk around the campsite looking for trash. Robert offers to carry the trash you found. Everyone gathers all of their things in their arms to walk back to the cabins. You can’t figure out how to carry your sleeping bag, pillow, and Puppy all at the same time. Patrick says he will carry your pillow for you, and Mary’s pillow, Jenna’s blanket, and Deon’s backpack. Wow. CITs are so strong!
Willie Jack is more than a fictional character in a story. And much more than a scary old man meant to keep you up at night. Willie Jack is the spirit of Camp Alta Mons. At one point or another we are all Willie Jack. When we decide to be helpful or take extra time to benefit someone else, we are Willie Jack. Much of the magic in camp is in how we serve one another and how we give without expecting anything in return. It is that moment when you offer your stick to the kid who couldn’t find a good one. And when you agree to walk down to the bathroom with a friend who is scared. And when your counselor keeps reading until they are sure everyone is asleep. The way you give doesn’t have to be big or grand. What matters is why you choose to give.
We call this way of living servant leadership. Modeling after Jesus, we want to lead others by serving them. John 15:13 says it this way, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” It is our hope that at camp, campers have the opportunity to give love and receive love in this way.
In our stories, Willie Jack goes on journeys plain or exciting, but in the end it is his honesty and hardwork that carries him through. When we say we saw Willie Jack walking around, we mean we saw the person who collected tinder for everyone’s Home in the Woods site or created a new fun Winter Camp activity. Willie Jack doesn’t just exist in a story. Willie Jack is inside us all.
This week for your Camp @ Home challenge, we challenge you to do a good deed for someone! It can be for a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger! Big or small, doesn't matter what it is, but find something that you can do to make someone's day brighter and kinder. Share your story with us by sending us a picture, video, or message about your good deed! Share it with us by using #AltaMonsCampatHome and emailing it to program@altamons.org