How Camp Changed My Life

Camp has changed my life, I can guarantee that if it were not for Camp Cherith I would not be where I am today. When I was 14 my parents decided to send me and my brother to camp, I was terrified. At 14 I was crying and telling them not to make me go. I went for that first week and had a lot of fun, I enjoyed being able to talk to my counselors about the bible and not be waved off as too young to understand it. At the end of the week my leader suggested that I do the CILT program, which stands for Campers In Leadership Training. I decided to do it, coming into CILT I was a very shy, cautious teenager, after the first couple days once I got to know everyone I really came out of my shell. CILT let me learn skills I needed to be a great counselor but it also taught me important life skills such as being independent and different ways to study the bible. I went into CILT a shy guy teen and came out a confident young man. I would consider CILT as being a huge shaping point in my life. I met great friends who I still keep in touch with quite a bit, I learned great leadership techniques which have not only helped me at camp but in other parts of my life. I think CILT was the place where I began learning about balance, about balancing work and play, realizing both are important. I graduated CILT four years ago and I still consider it to have been one of the biggest shapers of my character. This year I was asked to be the CILT director and teach the new batch of CILT's an opportunity that both thrills and terrifies me. I hope that I can help these teenagers become new, productive members at Cherith and help guide them in their faith.

Cheers!

Andrew