"Say hi to S*th!" My camper twines behind me, all little girl giggles and a face that is almost but not quite buried into my side as she gives the instruction.
"Hi, ***." He acknowledges her, and she lights up like she has just been given the world.
One of "the teenagers" knows her name.
Because, my girls are pretty convinced, along with forty other campers, that the CITs are the best thing to ever grace the face of this campground.
The CITs swim with them; help them activities; stay while they fall asleep at night; join us for meals; serve at specials; run the puppets; lead the music; and act in the all important drama as sheep, shepherds, and the big bad wolf. Essentially, every single CIT is a super hero.
A green clad, goofy, loving, tender picture of the Jesus that we've been telling them about all week.
The fastest my cabin moves is when I offer to let them put stickers on the letters to some "teenagers." And, believe me, fast is not a common pace around cabin three. Fast means that they think that the CITs hung the moon.
And, you should never try to argue with forty-one kids.
So, I won't.
Half of the CITs are my cluster girls. Several of them are kids that I have known since birth. Every single one of them is incredible.
Responsible. Flexible. Loving.
Jesus shines through them in a thousand little moments, and I find myself wishing that I could bring their other leaders here to see this, teleport in a room full of adults just to share my pride in these kids. Because, they are rocking it.
Not in the flashy way that they could be, but just quietly, calmly doing every single thing that is asked of them, whether it's learning a new song for chapel or staying in the bathroom to supervise teeth brushing while one of us runs back to the cabin to get some forgotten item.
Taking kids out on the lake in a canoe - and then doing it again the next day, even when it was less than their favorite thing the first time.
Cramming so many tasks into a single day that it makes my head spin.
Consistently amazing.
These are our kids, my girls, these no longer littles but not quite grown ups who seem to serve as naturally as breathing.
And, I struggle to find the words to adequately explain myself. Because, they are incredible when they serve, but not only incredible because they serve. Awesome at what they do, but also awesome by default, as there is a Christ in them that defies description.
Because their hearts are gorgeous and their minds are brilliant, and I am pretty sure that scripture becomes a little more real every time that I am around them.
Because my leader's eyes see the promise and the presence of Jesus in their faces and their actions, hear it in their voices, and feel it as my girls walk a little faster to get to the line of high fives waiting in front of the dining room door.
Our CITs really are some of the best in the world.
Taking kids out on the lake in a canoe - and then doing it again the next day, even when it was less than their favorite thing the first time.
Cramming so many tasks into a single day that it makes my head spin.
Consistently amazing.
These are our kids, my girls, these no longer littles but not quite grown ups who seem to serve as naturally as breathing.
And, I struggle to find the words to adequately explain myself. Because, they are incredible when they serve, but not only incredible because they serve. Awesome at what they do, but also awesome by default, as there is a Christ in them that defies description.
Because their hearts are gorgeous and their minds are brilliant, and I am pretty sure that scripture becomes a little more real every time that I am around them.
Because my leader's eyes see the promise and the presence of Jesus in their faces and their actions, hear it in their voices, and feel it as my girls walk a little faster to get to the line of high fives waiting in front of the dining room door.
Our CITs really are some of the best in the world.
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