A Father’s Gift

I’ve been a son for 54 years. I’ve been a father for 20. I’m usually focused on giving my dad a thoughtful gift without much thought about what I might get from my family. If you know about The 5 Love Languages®, then you know that everyone gives and receives love differently. I show love by giving gifts. I receive love through words of affirmation. Getting a thoughtful handwritten note from my wife, son, or daughter is all I need. I also love it when they affirm me by just saying something to my face or doing something that demonstrates my influence and impact on them. In addition to the thoughtful cards and notes I received when I woke up this morning, little did I know that my son, Dallas, gave me a priceless gift. He had a wonderful freshman year at Grove City College and got a summer job as a counselor at Promise Camp.

For over 40 years, Promise Camp has been a place where children find unconditional love and acceptance in a safe and fun environment. Their mission is to transform the lives of youth between 6 and 17 years of age who are frequently from unchurched, single-parent families through intentional relationships and the promise of Jesus Christ. Promise Camp is 112 acres located in Beaver County (about 25 miles outside of Pittsburgh).

Dallas provided me his counselor job description and statement of faith a couple of weeks ago, however, I didn’t read it until today on Father’s Day. Out of multiple job offers this summer, he chose this one. He made this decision independent of any influence from his dad or mom. This was his first pick for a summer job. He told me he was recommended for it by an older fraternity brother at Grove City College. Little did he know this was the best Father’s Day gift he could give me.

These statements from the job description make me so proud of him. They are like words of affirmation to me. They touch my heart because they reveal his heart. In addition to the below duties, he also opted to get trained and certified as a lifeguard, which includes certification in CPR and first aid. Well done, son.

The Position Requires:

• A devoted relationship and mature walk with Jesus Christ.
• Ability to connect with, encourage, challenge, direct, and redirect at-risk youth.
• Demonstrated leadership ability while working as a part of a team.
• Being a strong role model.
• Having a positive upbeat attitude toward other staff and the youth who are served.

Specific Responsibilities and Duties:

• Dedicate each day to God through prayer, and rely upon God’s strength and leading throughout each day of camp. Commit to praying for the children regularly.
• Lead the campers by personal example and behavior. Be a role model for following Jesus while providing enthusiastic, patient, compassionate, and appropriate friendship and guidance.
• Work with fellow staff and campers to establish relationships that honor Jesus. Work closely and cooperatively with their co-counselors and lead them with Christ-like grace and humility.
• Learn the campers’ names, and make it a priority to get to know them personally. Know where the campers are at all times and provide supervision for the campers assigned to your cabin.
• Plan and provide cabin Bible talks and devotions with campers and share your faith story.
• Help campers experience the wonder of God’s natural creation, and make use of the camp’s beautiful natural setting to draw their attention toward its Creator.

Essential Functions:

Able to assist campers in emergency (fire, injury, etc.); walk several miles in a day; observe loading
and unloading of buses; assist with camper luggage and belongings; and possess strength and
endurance required to maintain constant supervision of campers.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be
made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The employee is frequently exposed to:

• outdoor weather conditions
• noise
• stressful oversight of campers requiring quick critical thinking skill

Lifestyle Commitments:

• Spiritual Health and Fellowship—including membership in a local church, study of Scripture, and spiritual disciplines.
• Believing and embracing Family Guidance’s Statement of Faith.