That Time I Worked at a Charismatic Summer Camp
The true story of the worst summer I've ever experienced and why it was such a disaster
This post is a bit of a different kind than the ones I normally write, but I thought it would be interesting to tell the story of my worst-ever summer camp experience. I will be using large sections of material that I wrote in my diary during this time, included in block quotations. Also, please be aware that I am not trying to trash this camp or anyone else who worked there; this is just an account of my experience and why it did not work well for me.
A bit of background
After completing my first year of Bible college in 2022, I needed to find a job for the spring and summer months to make enough money to attend school for another year, as that is what I had decided I wanted to do. As anyone who has been on the hunt for employment will know, finding a job is hard. My efforts proved fruitless when my countless online and in-person applications were ignored. So, when I was offered an almost four-month-long position at the camp where I had worked during the previous summer, I instantly accepted it. Unfortunately, I had no idea just how bad things were about to get and how much I would come to regret that decision.
As previously stated, I worked at this same camp in July and August of 2021, just after graduating high school. It was my first “real job” besides the occasional babysitting, house cleaning, and snow shovelling I had done for pay. That experience was overall a pretty positive one, and although there were many hard moments given that it was the first time I had lived away from home for that length of time, I would say I liked it.
A big plus (for super introverted and socially anxious me, anyway) was that the staff team was significantly smaller than in previous years given that COVID restrictions were still going around and the rest of camp was similarly scaled down. We only did one full five-day camp, a teen weekend event, and a family camp along with having days in which anyone could pay to come and try the activities, renting out cabins for guests, and hosting a private group at the end of the summer. Given all that, it was pretty chill most of the time and I loved the freedom I experienced there.
The camp itself is an interdenominational Christian camp located in a beautiful area with lots of trees and hiking trails. Equipped with activities such as a zipline, rock climbing, paintball, skateboarding, archery, and riflery, it is honestly a really cool and fun place that has much potential. So, my nature-loving side was certainly drawn towards the camp over a “regular job” in the city. However, things changed drastically from 2021 to 2022 with a new director and an almost entirely new group of staff members.
For May and June of 2022, I was a part of the spring staff team, which was a nice small group of people. I shared a suite with two other young women, and there were only about five to eight staff members living at the camp at any given time. My work during this time consisted of cleaning, helping in the kitchen, and repairing materials to get things ready for campers to use. While I was often busy with much physical labour, including some absolutely exhausting thirteen-hour shifts in the kitchen, I still had time to read several super nerdy biblical archaeology books and watch movies with my roommates.
Then, at the end of June, both of my roommates, who were originally planning on working the summer, decided to leave before camp started. Truthfully, I wanted to do the same thing, as I had gotten the sense that the new director had some wacky theology and I was worried about how busy things were about to get. However, I knew that was not going to work out because I had already committed to work for the whole summer camp season and I probably would not even be able to find another job if I quit, plus it would greatly disappoint certain people in my life.
An early sign of strangeness
When there was a slightly larger group of staff at camp, but still not the whole amount, we were split up into groups of three to go around the camp and pray. Not just that, but we were given some sort of weird oil stuff that we were told to use to make a cross above every door in every building and pray for each individual room. While I could not articulate it exactly, this really did not sit well with me. The people in my group seemed almost paranoid about making sure we got every single door in the place that we were assigned. Furthermore, they spoke about how we had to do this in order to prevent demonic attacks or some other kind of negative spiritual thing. It was honestly quite unsettling for me, as the “prayers” felt more like magical incantations, and I did not see any biblical support for such a strange and seemingly superstitious practice.
The chaos begins
The full summer staff team moved into camp for training at the end of June, my younger sister included. Since I had already gone through staff training the year before, most of the information was familiar to me, though some stuff was new. Of course, learning the names of everyone took a while and was complicated further by the fact that each of us had a “camp name” in addition to our real names.
Then, in early July, the first campers aged six to nine arrived. There were way too many people there for my liking, and everything was always so loud. Mealtimes were the worst with dozens of kids all in one room taking over each other, and we even had a “clean-up song” which played at the end of each meal to signal that it was time to put away one’s dishes; not only was the song one I despise — it was “Footloose” — but the volume at which it was played was simply unbearable. Being autistic and sensory avoidant, I am very sensitive to loud noises, so this was quite literally torture three times a day. Thankfully, I was kindly given some earplugs which helped get me through the summer, though even with them in, things were still significantly louder than I would have wished.
But just after things got better, they got worse. As I wrote on Tuesday, July 5th,
I’m desperately trying not to hate my life right now. Someone had the “great” idea to do competitions between campers of different cabins at lunch, and that means more clapping. It nearly killed me, and I almost wish it had. This place is in such disorganized chaos. We’re not allowed to have a schedule because [the camp director] wants us to be surprized [sic]. That drives me crazy because I never know what’s going on. I don’t know how I can last the summer like this… Here, structure and routine are non-existant [sic]. The noise always becomes too much. It’s simply not an environment in which I can thrive. Truth is, I just don’t belong here.
Apparently, the original amount of chaos at camp was insufficient, so people had to add more and make things even harder for me. Furthermore, our activities and events were different each day which was very challenging as I depend upon a routine to function.
Theological concerns
My suspicions of wacky beliefs at camp very soon proved correct. Our evening worship sessions during the staff training week were unlike anything I had ever experienced, and not in a good way. We sang some songs, which were fine, but then things got really weird. There was a time when staff members were encouraged to come forward and “get healing” or something. Healing from what exactly and how that all worked, I have no idea, but it all seemed really off. It became an environment of intense emotionalism with numerous people nearly bawling their eyes out, which made me incredibly uncomfortable.
Now, I am not all that emotional of a person. Sure, I have emotions and all that, but I often have trouble identifying what I am feeling at any given moment, which is called alexithymia and is a common co-occurrence among the autistic population. I would much rather discuss facts, evidence, and information than feelings. To me, crying should generally be a private thing, as I do not want people around me when I am so upset and I get super awkward when others are doing so.
But something happened then that I did not intend. In my words from Thursday, July 7th,
On Tuesday evening, I accidentally overheard a very important private conversation between the directors… and the assistant directors… During the worship session, I went outside and sat on one of the benches… because it was too loud inside. The bench I was sitting on was not visible from the spot where the director’s team was meeting because there was another bench in front of it. Then the four of them came out and began talking. I didn’t even catch onto the fact that I shouldn’t be listening until [the director] said that he wanted to keep this to their ears only. They would’ve seen me if I got up and left, so I just stayed. [The director] was talking about how he was conflicted about bringing his charismatic beliefs into an interdenominational camp because some of the kids don’t so that stuff at their churches and uncomfortable. On the other hand, he mentioned that he wanted all the kids to get “hit by the Spirit,” whatever that means. I left when the kids were done worship.
So, yes, I accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation… oops. I never told anyone what I had witnessed, in fact, those reading this post are the first to know! Maybe I should have said something to the director afterwards. But seriously, things were so sketchy during our worship sessions. As I continued writing,
There has been some creepy stuff happening at the worship times. Yesterday, I watched, horrified, as [a cabin leader] went limp and passed out on the floor. Her eyes were closed and she was twitching and jerking around randomly. Even worse, nobody was even concerned! When someone passed out like that, they need medical attention, not some creepy spiritual magic! I left worship early again and ranted to myself. Everyone here is so stupid. I probably know more about the Bible than anyone else here, and there’s still so much I don’t know! The worship sessions here give me the creeps… I’m so sick of all this unbiblical nonsense. Calling everything “anointed,” reading the Passion “translation” (which is actually a very bad paraphrase made by only one guy who lied about his experience), people getting “miraculously healed,” and people muttering and waving their hands around as if casting spells. This is simply not what I signed up for.
Many of these things were so incredibly foreign to me. There was a large focus on spiritual forces, especially the presence of the demonic. People seemed seriously concerned about demonic attacks and tended to ascribe supernatural causes to normal occurrences or coincidences. In fact, I later became so concerned that I wrote an eight-page letter to the director which you can read by clicking here if you are so inclined.
A night most terrible
In the evening of the same day I wrote the above passage, things went awry. As in, even more than usual. All of the girls were taken to the gym to play blob tag in the dark, and the screaming was HORRENDOUS. I could not take it and curled up in a ball on the floor covering my ears and trembling, unable to function. Thankfully, my sister helped me outside and I headed back to my cabin to rest where all was quiet. Until… it was not.
When the kids came back, it was noisy again and I was not doing well. Having already suffered severe sensory overwhelm an hour or so before and living in an environment that was not at all suited to accommodate my needs, it was a recipe for disaster. I neglected writing about this until Saturday after the first set of campers had left, but here is what I had to say:
[The kids] were so loud when I was trying to sleep. I wished so badly that [my co-cabin leader] would tell them to be quiet, but as usual, I had no such luck. Then I began having a meltdown. My hands were clamped over my ears and I started hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollable [sic]. Most of what happened next I wasn’t aware of, but after a while, I realized that somebody was beside my bed, speaking. All I wanted was for that person to stop blabbering so that I could sleep. But it was still too loud. My breathing remained sharp and heavy and I was drenched in sweat. Eventually, I identified [my co-cabin leader] as the one beside my bed. When I lifted one hand just a bit, I could hear some strange blabbering that didn’t even sound like a real language. This terrified me even more and only caused me to shake more violently. At this point, I tried to speak, but my mouth refused to work. I said the words “I want my sister,” but they all blended together in undecipherable mumbling. Again, I tried and repeated it over and over. The words still weren’t clear but [the cabin leader] must’ve caught on because she said something about not being able to [go] outside to get my sister. I still don’t understand why she couldn’t have done that. I wished I could’ve told her to be quiet. She kept saying strange things, which only made me worse, and I was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life. Finally, she just stopped. My breathing made its way back to normal and I began to have more control of my body. After [she] left, I was able to fall asleep. I don’t know what she thought she was doing, but it was creepy.
I have truly never been as terrified as I was that night, before or after. The last thing I wanted to happen after a few days of children screaming constantly was to have to listen to them while trying to fall asleep and being completely drained of all my energy.
Things get even worse
Our next week of camp was for ages nine to twelve. There were some highlights — we played a lot of fun games and had some intense cabin competition which was a blast, but some not-so-great stuff happened too. This was our biggest group of campers with over ninety of them, and yikes, it was crazy. On Tuesday, July 12th, this happened:
During activity 2 this afternoon, [the director] had a meeting with the cabin leaders. We talked about some problems that needed to be addressed such as opening day, activities, and cleaning schedules. Then a message on the walkie-talkie interrupted us, saying that there was an emergency at the climbing wall… [My sister] told me that a camper fell off the climbing wall. The thing is, we only had one staff member working there… and one [leader in training]. We need at least three staff to run rock wall and that doesn’t include LiT [leaders in training]. Four would be even better if we’re doing both belaying lines. I could’ve been there (and very probably would’ve) if I didn’t need to be at the meeting.
When I say that this camp suffered from chronic disorganization and a lack of proper communication, I mean it. Yes, a camper literally fell off the climbing wall, and this may not have happened if my sister and I were there to ensure proper safety, as we (and me especially) were the cabin leaders who had the most knowledge of and experience with the equipment and procedures. As far as I know, nobody ever found out exactly what happened to cause said camper to become unattached to the rope, but having more staff present during potentially risky activities to double-check things is certainly an asset.
Because of this, the climbing wall and zipline were not used for the rest of that week, though thankfully, we were able to use them for the remainder of the summer with some changes to ensure that would not occur again. However, this was only the tip of the iceberg of the situation.
You see, around ninety percent of our summer staff had a massive tardiness problem. Although the director frequently called out this unacceptable conduct, he was very often late himself and did not effectively lead by example. I am not trying to brag here, but I place great value on punctuality and I do not think I was ever late. Certain activities, namely the zipline and rock-climbing wall, require staff to arrive quite a bit beforehand to set everything up so that we do not end up wasting half of the activity block getting things ready while the campers complain. My sister and I would head to this area a whopping forty-five minutes early so that we could get all the ropes hooked up, harnesses and helmets laid out, and ensure everything was just as it should be.
For running the zipline, I would hook myself up to some ropes with all my gear to belay campers on the ladder, and my sister was often working on the first of the zipline towers, so she would climb up the tower before the session was scheduled to begin. Then, campers would start to arrive but the two of us could not do anything yet, as she was on the tower and I was literally all tied up.
About five minutes after the start time, the other staff (who should have been there at least ten minutes previously) would arrive. Then, one person would frantically scramble to get ready and on the second tower while another one or two people would attempt to help the campers put harnesses on. Often, these staff members were simply incompetent, and I had to yell at the people doing the harnessing that they were putting them on the wrong way while simultaneously jumping up and down and pulling a rope in the heat. It was… not ideal, to put it nicely. Add to the fact that we did not have enough helmets because the skateboarders kept stealing them from the zipline area and leaving them at the skatepark when they should have brought their own from home 🤦🏼♀. So, this disastrous event was not all that surprising given everything else that had gone on.
A breath of fresh air
Our third week of camp was for junior-high-aged campers, and I was given the week off from cabin leading (woohoo!). I got to sleep in a cabin with only myself and one other staff member and spent the week helping with dishes, cleaning, and the zipline and rock wall which were good to use again with some modifications in how things were run. Considering that I had already been cleaning the disgusting bathroom by the girls’ cabins during worship times because nobody else cleaned them until the end of the week(!), it was so refreshing to focus more on cleaning than looking after the children. Instead of feeling bad about freaking out and running away from camp games and other noisy events, I was not even expected to attend and it was wonderful.
Unfortunately, the weirdness continued. My sister (thanks, bud!) kept me updated on what was going on around camp while I was picking up garbage, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping the amphitheatre, and replacing the pop cans at riflery. During one worship session, a staff member who had been injured a few days previously and was walking with crutches was apparently healed somehow after all the children were screaming and praying for hours… or something. While I of course believe that God does miraculously heal people on occasion, it seemed as though people at this camp were almost trying to manipulate God into doing what they wanted, and that is never okay.
The wasp sting debacle
On the Saturday after the third week of camp, my sister and I went on a hike as was our weekly custom. Since we had already hiked all of the trails on the map except the longest one, we thought it would be a fun idea to try and find this trail, as neither of us knew exactly where it was since it was the only trail that was not labelled with coloured tape. As shown on the map, we needed to start on one of the other trails which would later split off into the regular trail and the blue one.
When we came across something that looked somewhat like an overgrown trail that appeared to be in the right location, we decided to take it. The “trail” was not much of a trail, and if it even was the one marked on the map is still unknown. Between climbing over fallen tree trunks, sliding down steep slopes, and jumping over a creek, we were still having a blast… until we were not.
A sharp pain stabbed my left hand and an involuntary scream erupted from my mouth. After realizing that I had been stung by a wasp, I raced over to the shallow creek to stick my hand in the cold water. My sister and I travelled back along the creek until meeting up with the road and I took a cold rock from the creek to place on my sore hand. Already, it was beginning to balloon up as if it were an inflated disposable glove.
This was not unexpected for me, as I had suffered a wasp sting on my right hand in the summer of 2020 at a different camp. My hand had stayed puffy for a week and often felt hot, needing me to put ice on it. Since staff members stayed at camp over the weekends (unlike last year when I was one of the only people who stayed), my sister and I easily found some other staff when we made it back to the camp. After freaking out over how messed up my hand looked, they gave me an ice pack which felt so good on my hand and some medications that did not do anything to help.
Just as I had predicted, my hand remained swollen for seven days, though the first few were the worst. It constantly felt like it was burning when I did not have a cold pack on, and I had to change them out frequently while being outside in the heat for much of the day. People were pretty concerned and said that I was probably allergic to wasp stings because, apparently, that is not a normal reaction to one! I still do not know if I am actually allergic to wasp stings as I have not been stung since.
The last weeks of camp
Our fourth week (when my hand was swollen :/) was another camp for ages 9-12. Then, we had a family camp and a senior high camp, none of which I cabin-led for. My sister and I met with the director to discuss the letter I had written, and although we did not agree with everything the director said, it was nice to actually have our concerns heard instead of feeling like the only ones who were not on the same page with everything that was going on. Cabin leaders and all other staff members were given printed schedules of the week, and other minor improvements were made.
My sister and I got to move into a suite with some other female staff towards the end of the summer which had the advantages of our own bathroom, wifi, and being a nicer place in general. Unfortunately, it was on the second floor of a building with no air conditioning, and in mid-August, it got so unbearably hot. I took cold showers and placed my pyjamas in the freezer before putting them on, but even that did not help much.
Neither my sister nor I wanted to stay until the end of camp. Both of us felt very much like outsiders and it was clear that we did not fit in well there. A significant portion of the summer staff attended the same church, and we were the only two from our church. Although some staff members were very accepting and welcoming, others intimidated me, and I did not like being around them. Some other less-than-ideal things happened too, which I will spare you the details of considering I have already written a lot here!
Summary of the summer
Well, there you have it, the story of the single most stressful time in my entire life. From deathly loud screaming, freakish things that did not sound biblical at all, a terrifying autistic shutdown, rampant disorganization, lateness, and incompetence, injuries aplenty, exhaustion to an extent I have never experienced before or after, and feeling like a complete and utter failure the entire time, it was not fun. And the thing is, I did not even get paid for it! Okay, technically I was paid for the spring position, but since the Canada Summer Grants program the camp used to pay their summer staff only allows one grant per person per year, I could not get paid for cabin leading in the summer. Thankfully, some generous donors from my church and extended family contributed enough so I had enough saved for my second year of Bible college, which was a much better and less stressful experience in nearly every way.
Here is my advice for those considering a summer camp job:
ASK QUESTIONS during the job interview about how things will run to ensure that you are on the same page as the people in charge.
Buy some kind of noise-cancelling earplugs or headphones (I absolutely love my reusable Loop quiet earplugs that I have been using for two years now; not sponsored but they are a game-changer!)
Make sure that there is someone who you can talk to about any concerns you may have.
Do not do it unless you like being around large groups of chaotic children.
Thanks for reading this random life story from me! I plan on doing more of these at some point, so stick around to hear more.
That sounds horrible! I'm glad you survived and learned some good life lessons.