Local Color!

Ever wonder what your favorite place to be in the summer looks like in the Fall (for a few days, at least)?

Summer Retrospective

One of our superb counselors from this past summer, Morgan Gilley, just posted a Note on Facebook, in which she reflects on her time as a part of our summer community. Her words warmed all of our hearts, and we can only hope to have future leaders as adorable, compassionate, and soulful as she is. Counselors like her are the reason our campers love camp! She was kind enough to give us permission to share her words here:

This summer I embarked on a journey that I really didn't know where it would lead me. To my surprise it turned out to be one the hardest; yet, rewarding summers that I think I will ever experience. I worked at Ferncliff a Presbyterian church camp in Little Rock for basically 9 weeks. [...] These 9 weeks were spent with kids from the ages of 7 to 19. [...]I spent everyday for 9 weeks, reading the Bible, praying before every meal, and leading a Bible study for an hour a day. Most of you all are thinking, so whats the big deal? Try doing this in blazing heat and screaming kids, some days you prayed way before your meals just to get you through the day. God tested me in so many ways this summer. Not only did he test me he blessed me with some of the most amazing people I would ever meet. My co-counselors were seriously like family to me. It was so easy to connect with them because we all had the same thing in common. We believed. We didn't care about people judging us. We were just us. I could be my own person. I guess what I'm trying to get at is now that I'm away from camp it sucks. People care waaaaayyyy too much about what others think of them. Just be YOU. God made you that way. Embrace it. If you have a weird looking nose, well darn! I have a crooked toe! It doesn't matter. Love yourself. I hate it when people say "I'm so fat, or I'm ugly." Who cares! Be your own person and not something someone wants you to be. I wish life now could be like camp then. A bunch of kids running around trying to capture the chicken (its a game) without a care in the world. Its hard to explain what this summer was like, but I know my other co-counselors will know. It's something you can't explain, it's something you have to experience. How one summer can finally make you realized nothing in the world matters except God. You can finally be your own person and be comfortable in your own skin. And you can finally embrace life like it was meant to be embraced.

Thanks so much, Morgan, for reminding us what's special about this place. We're so fortunate to have known you, and we hope you'll consider Ferncliff a home away from home!