Seeing someone smile, is a gift. I don’t think I have realized that until now. When everyone started to wear masks the thing people kept saying was, “Remember to smile big and show your smile through your eyes!” It wasn’t until half of our faces were blocked that we started to remind each other to smile. I like to smile and laugh a lot.Most people who know me would say I'm a fairly giggly person. So everyday on Zoom with the kids in Camp In A Box, I make it a priority to smile, and nothing makes me happier than when a kid smiles back at me. Seeing the joy on their faces is an incredible blessing. I have the ability to make them laugh, and tell them about our Creator. When they smile for our Bible stories, and when hearing about what the good Lord has done, it makes me so happy, and fills me with passion for the Lord. We as the Summer Team have the great honour to get to know each kid and tell them who Jesus is and all about what He has done for us. It’s so beautiful to fall witness to the Lord working through us, and into each of the lives of these kids. In our Connect another leader and myself got to spend individual time with one of the youth participants, and we got to laugh and talk and plan together. I remember that being a big highlight of my day.The fact that I got to make another person smile for the Lord and laugh, just because, meant everything to me. Things like smiling are things we used to take for granted, but I know now, that these simple things make the biggest impact. - Anna

One of my favourite things about Camp In A Box is getting to see the kids have fun during 2gether Time (our daily zoom calls). Last week we played this game with the kids called, “Guess the Message”. To play, we took turns coming up with a random message and then saying it to everyone. The twist was that the message had to be said without showing our teeth and without letting our mouths close. It resulted in funny voices and unrecognizable sentences. Then, everyone else would have to guess what they were trying to say. It was a game filled with laughter. The kids couldn’t stop laughing at the leaders as we said our messages in funny voices. The kids got even happier and excited when they guessed the message correctly. Not only were the kids having fun,but also the staff. This experience really helped me see how grateful I am that despite the pandemic we still get to put a smile on the kid’s faces, even if it is only for 30minutes a day. - Arlie

I have this big box of LEGO and a whole bunch of little LEGO people that I love building with. So, when working with kids and given the opportunity to tell stories, what do I do?Play with LEGO, of course! I had so much fun building set pieces and gathering the characters and seeing the kids so excited about it made me enjoy it even more! There was a more personal connection with the story and seeing me using a relatable mode of story telling made all of the kids more into learning the weekly theme. Everyone on the Zoom call was super into what was happening on the screen and that made me very happy about what I was doing. There’s nothing like that feeling of seeing kids learning and clicking with a story in the Bible. It’s like putting the final piece on a LEGO set. -Jess

I’m going to share a story from the second week of Camp in a Box this year. The team and I were using the story of Jonah and the fish to teach kids about God’s support for every one of us and that He’s always with you. We had just finished doing the story activity for the day and I asked the kids, “What should we do when we need help,support or guidance?” One of the kids who has been a member of Amberlea Summer Camp since my first year volunteering 2 years ago looked at me (or at least his Zoom camera) like I was so weird for asking that question and he said with a tone of annoyance, “Ask God for help.” Then he paused and said, “You guys told us that God is always there for us.” At first I took his answer as coming from a place of disinterest but now that I’m thinking about it I realize that he is learning from us and learning exactly what we’re trying to teach him as well as all the kids! I think it’s magical that the team and I have such a great opportunity to not only teach kids about God but to have them retain that information and be genuinely happy to know that God loves them. - Emma

There have been so many positives this summer, perhaps even because of our current situation. The stories that the team has shared are only a small portion of the fantastic experiences we are having everyday running the summer programming. It has been an intense time as we’ve learned to navigate the world of Zoom and online camp coordination, and learned to still have effective engagement with the kids and each other. Everyday, I am blessed to be part of our team devotions as each staff person takes a turn leading them in the morning. We each get to choose something to talk about from the Bible and lead a discussion on that topic. We’ve had profound conversations about forgiveness, fear, worth, and many more topics that continually show me that God is working so deeply in our lives. You’d be surprised at how much time, research and practice it takes to share God’s story and how it is relevant in a few minutes over Zoom, or over a video story or in a cardboard box. But, one of the most important things we do as a team is seek God first. A good thing for all of us to remember. Pick up your Bible, choose a verse or story and challenge yourself to reallydive deep into it. - David