This is definitely a different summer. Read what our Amberlea Summer Students, Arile, Anna, Emma, Jessica and David have to say about their experiences so far and be encouraged!

When COVID-19 wasn’t gone by June, I thought my summer was ruined, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. At first, the idea of being a virtual camp counsellor seemed absurd and difficult, but it has turned out to be my favourite part of this crazy year. Something I was not expecting about virtual camp was to form strong connections with the staff and kids through a computer screen. Fortunately though, having to get through this summer with these strange circumstances together has brought the staff and kids even closer together. Also, the staff and the campers are not the only ones forming strong connections. Through Connect Junior Leaders, a new virtual program where the summer team gets to connect with youth and learn about leadership, we have gotten to mentor and form strong bonds with young leaders. Another positive about this summer is that we get to do fun crafts, games, and experiments from the comfort of our own homes while strengthening our relationship with God. Speaking of crafts, games, and experiments, I would argue that they are way more fun this year. Since we only have half an hour of actual zoom time with the kids, most of our other time is spent coming up with the best crafts for each day. Although COVID-19 has been difficult, I am so glad that I got this opportunity to give kids the camp experience right from home. - Arlie

This year has looked so different from what I had originally planned, many things I had looked forward to, were not able to happen, and so many of us are experiencing these losses. But it has been amazing to see how Gods worked in my life to make such a sad situation into something awesome! In past years working as a volunteer at Amberlea I have loved what I've been doing, hanging out with the kids and helping them grow in their relationship with God! But this summer is so extra special because we get to be on Zoom with the kids a half an hour each day. During this time the team and I have been able to go so much deeper into the Word of God! We have been able to tell stories and ask them questions, and help them to know first hand what God can do in their lives. It’s crazy to see how God works! He makes beautiful things from nothing. This summer I have also been able to create new relationships with the Summer Team. Having a community to learn and talk about God is such a blessing! Being surrounded by a team that is so focused on God, is such an encouragement to me, to grow in my faith, and to be reminded, to make God always my number one priority. In this time, so many of us haven’t been able to see the people we love, but because of covid, I have been able to make so many new relationships, even though I'm grieving the things I've lost. - Anna

There is no doubt that this summer is not as per usual and totally not what we expected as a summer team, however I wouldn't change it for the world. We've had so many amazing moments with the kids on zoom and during box pickups, the best part is seeing the kids from previous vbs and breakfast club years join us every day on zoom even though the circumstances are rough, seeing the kids faces light up when they join our zoom call and get to talk about the boxes they received and the crafts they made makes the virtual camp so worth it. As a former volunteer of amberlea vbs and breakfast club I am used to the in person camp experience and that's what i was looking forward to most this summer; however now that i've really experienced a different way of teaching children about god and interacting with them its causing the team to be a lot more creative in terms of games,crafts and activities which will really help us in the upcoming summers at Amberlea. - Emma

When overnight camp was canceled, a lot of people, myself included, were left wondering what the summer was going to look like. The idea of virtual camp was intimidating, no one really knew what to expect, but I knew that I still wanted to connect with kids and have that experience. I like having a plan to follow, but in my family, plans change a lot, so I’m a pretty flexible person. I was ready to adapt to Zoom meetings, boxes, and spreadsheets. I’m finding this job to be an amazing creative opportunity. I love seeing the team come up with new activities for each week’s theme. I’m really enjoying the everyday routine and can’t wait to see where the rest of the adventure goes. Everyone has to adapt in these crazy times, so in the words of Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey: “I know what it is to work now, to have a full day to be tired in a good way.” - Jessica

This summer is undoubtedly full of surprises for families, kids, and teens. My team has already expressed how unsure they were of what this summer would bring, and rightfully so; however, now that we're in the thick of it, working with kids and families daily on zoom i’ve noticed that there are tremendous positives about our situation. Firstly, we’ve been able to reach kids and families that we wouldn’t have been able to because of scheduling and other commitments, but with only 30 minutes needed to engage with most of our activities, many families are able to join in on the fun. Secondly, we have a lot more time to engage with each other, brainstorming, discussing, and having in depth bible devotionals, that we don’t usually have the time to do in normal summers. Lastly, the quality of our content has never been so good! Since we meet with the kids for such a short amount of time, the majority of our time is spent making that time the best that it can be, and the activities they do alone just as engaging. Don’t write this summer off just because it doesn’t look like a normal one, there are amazing things happening everywhere, especially here at Amberlea! - David, Summer Team Leader