“I’ve been going to Blue Mountain Christian Retreat since I was a few months old. My parents would take me every year during a family week. This is where, since early childhood, I attended the Children’s Ministry program. Personally, the Mountain has been my second home because I grew up developing long time friendships. It’s where I found myself having a relationship with Jesus. The Children’s Ministry was the best part of the whole experience, so I began to appreciate it. I learned so much beyond just bible stories, like how to get through real life issues while I was attending high school. I learned what it means to have a personal relationship with God and how to develop good relationships with my peers. In my last 2 years of being involved in the Children’s Ministry, my goal was to become a counselor the summer before I started college. Since I was young, I looked up to all of my counselors and always went to them for advice.
As I transitioned to become a counselor, I was excited to see how God will use me. During the 5 weeks of working, I learned the principles of team work.
The importance placed on unity and preparation benefited me and the children as well. It taught me to be flexible to help out in other areas of ministry and it helped me to grow spiritually. I was able to build strong relationships with the team and have quality time with the Lord. Learning about leadership and how to depend on God confirmed my calling to work with children. My work at the retreat also allowed me to learn and gain experience that will help me in my profession as a teacher one day. One of the highlights of my time as a counselor was a relationship I made with a child. This young boy, in the beginning of the week, came to me saying how he was afraid and couldn’t go to sleep. He was very quiet and stayed to himself, but throughout the week I was able to pray for him. Towards the end of the week, he participated and didn’t want to leave the classroom, which brought a smile to my face because he was aware that God will watch over him. He knew that he could pray to Jesus when he’s in need of help just like Daniel in the lion’s den, which was our theme for the week.
Now as I’m in college, I’m working towards becoming an Early Childhood and Special Education Teacher. Knowing that God will do so much more in this upcoming summer, I have great expectations for my return to counselling at Blue Mountain Christian Retreat & Conference Center.”
We are currently hiring for Summer 2019! Click HERE for more information about Job Opportunities on the mountain!
Written By: Christina Perez, Summer 2018 Camp Counselor
