It's More Than A Camp
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
“I didn’t feel like I was qualified for the job,” explained camp counselor, Ricardo Molina, “but I prayed every night for wisdom, and I felt that prayer was granted.”
At the beginning of the summer, Ricardo knew he wanted to find work that was truly fulfilling but he was not sure where to start. Camp Wawona first came up during a casual conversation with his friend, Kody Moreland. Kody eagerly shared exciting stories about his childhood summers attending camp, as well as his later experiences serving as a staff member. Inspired Kody’s excitement to work at camp again that summer, Ricardo signed up to be a boy’s counselor not fully knowing what to expect, but eager to see what God had in store for him.
The first day arrived, and Ricardo initially found himself surrounded by strangers. However, the initial anxiety quietly disappeared as he met his new coworkers. “The atmosphere was very welcoming,” Ricardo recalled. “At first Kody hadn’t shown up yet so it was just me. But, over time, I got to know a lot of people and became really good friends with everyone on the staff team.”
Once Kody joined him at camp, both young men found themselves immersed in a work environment Kody described as “spiritually unmatched.” Their days were packed with devotional moments and spontaneous conversations with campers that led to deeper understandings of Christ’s love.
For both counselors, Thursday nights became the highlight of the week as each night concluded with a passion play that dramatically depicted what Jesus did at the cross. Kody’s experiences on Thursday nights had always been positive, but during the first week of Junior Camp last summer Kody exclaimed, “I had never had a Thursday night like this.” Kody shared, “After the passion play, I’ve never seen a group of kids completely surrender to Christ like they did. They were all in tears, and they were sad that the week was ending. It was a special moment for me to see these kids all sign the Book of Life.”
At Camp Wawona, the ‘Book of Life’ is a journal where young people write their names to signify a personal decision to follow Jesus. “Most of them marked that they wanted to be baptized,” Kody added. This moment reaffirmed for Kody that he was part of something far greater than just a fun camp; he felt like he was a part of a ministry saved people’s lives through Christ’s love.
Ricardo, on the other hand, encountered a Thursday night where he was still feeling out of place. “It was a rough week for me,” he explained, “I was feeling down and like I hadn’t given my all to these campers. I went through that evening’s program feeling like I hadn’t made much of an impact.”
Then, a quiet moment opened his eyes to what God was doing. Ricardo continued, “Out of nowhere one of the campers sitting in the back came up, hugged me, and said, ‘You are one of the only people that really understands me.’ In that moment I saw that I had really made an impact without knowing it. At the beginning of the week, I remember seeing myself in that kid and I spent time getting to know him and giving him time and advice I had never got as a kid. When he told me this and I watched him decide to follow Jesus, I felt fulfilled and super happy I got to be a part of his walk with God.”
As the summer concluded Ricardo was glad Kody had recommended Camp Wawona. Ricardo shared, “Working at Camp Wawona revealed to me God’s presence in our lives. We feel like sometimes God goes away from us, and to be honest, we can’t see him. This experience helped me to see that He was there the whole time. Working with these kids and hearing their stories was powerful. Most kids I spoke with felt their week of camp was a place where they have never felt that kind of love and warmth and sense of finding a home.”
Camp Wawona proved to be far more than just a seasonal job for Ricardo and Kody. It
served as a place where God’s love was tangible, lives were changed, and where everyone found true belonging in Christ.
Written by Kisa de Bruin
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