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Maya Ordonez

Mrs. Perez

Senior Service Learning Project

29 February 2020

Bible Camp

As a young child, one of my favorite parts of the summer was going to Bible Camp at my

church. I knew that when I became old enough I wanted to return as a volunteer to create the

same lively, enriching, faith-filled environment for the next generation. I adore young kids, and I

was compelled to volunteer at my church’s Bible Camp for the past four summers, which is why

I chose it to be my Senior Service Learning Project.

For the past four years, I have grown as a Bible Camp leader with my team at the “Bible

Adventures” station, the part where the campers are engaged in foundational religious teachings.

At my station, the team and I acted out a different Bible story each day, complete with costumes,

props, and audience participation. The children’s eager chattering and high spirits filled the

classroom with positivity and is enough to make anyone fall in love with teaching them. Every

day, I rehearsed lines, helped backstage, and performed the skit multiple times for different

groups of kids of all ages. Each year, I strive to teach by example to be a strong, passionate

member of the church. The children are accustomed to learning from readings spoken at Mass,

so we presented them with skits—a fun, interactive way of learning. Camp helps these kids to

become more familiar with their faith, form a strong relationship with God, share their beliefs

with their peers, and create lasting memories and friendships along the way. Throughout the

week, they became attached to their favorite Bible characters and looked forward to coming to
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our station. Watching these kids mature and return to camp each year is beyond rewarding and

motivates me to come back and teach them every summer.

I personally always feel changed after Bible Camp. I strive to touch these children’s lives,

and they also end up touching mine. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “For it is in giving that we

receive,” and I never resonated with this quote more deeply than after my first summer

volunteering at camp. Seeing these young, innocent children who just want to be loved and feel

God’s love is a constant reminder for me to treat everyone with respect and patience. The

children walked away with a new understanding of what it means to be a Catholic with a strong

friendship with Jesus, and I left camp with a new gratitude for my faith and hope for our future

because of these kids. With this, I learned about myself and how I can impact the bigger picture,

through children—the future of our world. Each summer, I am called to instill in them a deeply

rooted faith in God they will have with them wherever they go in life.

Each day, the children would come back looking for me to share with them more Bible

stories, which encouraged me to keep going and affirmed that the team and I had made a positive

impact on their experience. My “Bible Adventures” station, in particular, showed the community

how young teens can create a spark in other young people’s faith. My whole Bible Camp journey

has affirmed my love for service and how I need service in my life. I hope to inspire the children

at Bible Camp to come back as a leader like I did, so they may serve the youth and share the faith

that was instilled in them at Bible Camp. I plan to continue the work I have started, and it is only

just the beginning. I am looking forward to returning even years after I graduate to lead many

more children to find God.