$100

Nineteen ninety-eight was a year when cabins went camping on cabin night.  No tents.  No pre-build platforms.  No charcoal. Just the ground below us, stars above us, a lighter, and meager portions of hot dogs, marshmallows and whatever the counselor bought at the Lazy G. These were the days when counselors spooked their kids with inappropriate ghost stories, support staff - not having responsibility for a cabin - made raids on our makeshift campgrounds, and we had no concern for Lyme disease (Why I don’t know). 

It was session five, the last of the summer, and we were out for our fifth cabin night - six kids, two exhausted counselors.  Our only goal was to get the fire started and get whatever sleep we could get on the bumpy hard ground.  The kids were sent for firewood and hotdog sticks.  They usually came back with 4 inch wide “logs” asking if they would make good hot dog sticks. While the kids hunted for supplies my co-counselor and I sat with pride that we got our fifth and last fire started while we whittled the logs into hot dog sticks.  Just then we heard Jason yell excitedly, “Is this real? Is this real?” as he ran into the campground and thrusted a $100 bill in our faces.

Jason was probably 13 at the time and quite possibly the most amazing kid I had the privilege to counsel during my two summers.  His priorities were not of an average 13 year old - not of an inner city 13 year old or of a privileged suburban 13 year old.  After establishing the authenticity, we told Jason he could do whatever he wanted with it, but that for his best interest (and because of camp policy) we would have to hold it until he got on the bus heading back to Bridgeport.  So of course he wanted to buy the latest video game, the coolest kicks (do they call them that anymore?), new shades, or a new Yankees cap, right?  No, he wanted all of his cabin mates to have a modest ice cream party and for the famished staff - after lights out - to be treated to milk shakes at Stewart’s.  A 13 year old with more money in hand than he could imagine taught all of a lesson in generosity and kindness that could not be matched during bible classes, celebration, or fireside lessons. He flipped the dynamic as he became the counselor and I became the camper.

Lucas was a counselor at Camp Shiloh during the summer of 1998 and was the Youth Counseling Director in 2001.  Lucas was a mentor in the teen mentoring program from 2002 thru 2004.  He was a Pediatric Physical Therapist for 6 years and has been a healthcare analyst/manager for Union Health Fund for the past 3 years.  He currently lives in Queens New York.

"The Shiloh Family"

In 2002, I was hired to work at a summer camp in New York that I knew very little about. I just knew that I always loved going new places and I thought it’d be a good chance for me to do something worthwhile with my summer. I had absolutely no idea what God had in store for me at this place. 

He intended for me to become part of a family of people.  He placed people around me at this camp that I will love and cherish forever. These people have truly shaped me into the person that I am today and the person that I hope to become. I had the blessing to be on staff with and have campers that challenged me. Challenged me in a way that other Christians truly should…

I met Chris Ewing who taught me the seriousness of our mission while we worked at Shiloh. He regularly kept our focus on the children that we were there to serve. And he helps keep my focus on my mission in life still today.

I met Robyn (Shores) Foster who taught me how to relate the Bible to everyone, even inner-city children. Even today, I remember the lessons that she wrote for us and I can explain them to almost anyone. What a gift from God to be able to put your faith in words!

I met Marcus Ewing who taught me how to love children and people in the most difficult times. He had a gift for working with kids even in the hardest of moments. He taught me about praising a child and respecting a child before you would ever criticize them. I think about the things he talked about every day as I work with children.

I met Teresa French who taught me the heart of a servant. She showed me how to work behind the scenes and never seek attention for yourself. She was always supporting others and had a selfless attitude. I consider this a Godly quality that I strive to have.

I met Nakeisha Vanterpool who taught me how to be an individual. She and her sister were different from the other campers, even in 2002. They stood up for what they believed in and they tried to do what was right even in adversity… a pretty amazing skill to have when you’re 11 years old.

I could go on and on. The people that He brings each year are special. As staff, we all come to this place thinking that we are there to make a difference. Then, we are each made better every summer as a result of the amazing kids that we meet and the peers that surround us.

Shiloh has taught me how important every human being is in the kingdom of God. It taught me not to judge a person or a child, but to love them. Even when it’s hard and even when that person doesn’t come in a nice, neat package, he calls me to love. God placed some children in our lives at Shiloh that came in very difficult packages, and God taught me to look past it and to love them. He taught me this lesson at Shiloh and he expects me to remember this lesson each and every day.

I pray for this place and this mission regularly. I still have pictures on my wall of Shiloh kids. And, beside those pictures, there is a verse. It says “This is the resting place, let the weary rest” – Isaiah 28:12.  I pray that Shiloh continues to be a place of rest for these children for years to come. I pray that it continues to influence the children that drive down that gravel driveway and that it changes the hearts of the staff that live in the cabins each summer. It is a special place and one that I will never forget…

                                                                   
~Kristi (Cooke) Barney

Kristi was a Cabin Counselor from 2002 until 2004 and returned to Shiloh in the summer of 2006 to serve as the Youth Counseling Director.  Kristi moved to New York City in 2006 and volunteered as a mentor in the High-Def program.  Kristi currently lives in Huntsville, Al with her husband Adam.  She works as a Speech Pathologist at United Cerebral Palsy where she works with children from birth to elementary-aged who have speech/ language disorders.