"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.