Camp Service — It Runs in the Family
Natalie (top row center) and her Venturer cabin group.
Natalie Wagner’s first recollection of being at Fortune Lake was as an onsite day camper. Her grandparents, Bob and the late Judy Wagner, stayed at Bewabic State Park overnight and canoed their grandchildren across the lake for the day. Their family has a lengthy history of service at camp, stretching back to when her grandparents helped build the camp house and the Village Center. Later, Natalie’s aunt Mandy became one of the hardest working summer maintenance workers we’ve had. Now, it’s Natalie’s turn to see just how deeply that tradition of service runs in her blood.
Since her first visit, Natalie has come to camp many times with her siblings and cousins. This summer she was a Leader in Training (LIT). She was part of a cohort of eight high schoolers who participated in special training sessions during High School Week and then returned for two weeks of volunteering alongside our summer staff. Natalie’s first assignment was with the Venturers. She wondered if the training she received had adequately prepared her to work with middle schoolers, a group with whom she had little experience. Natalie quickly realized that what works to motivate some people doesn’t work for others. Throughout the week there were challenges. Difficult behaviors needed to be confronted, and patience was tried. The highlight came on the final night of camp during the Faith Experience, the culmination of a week of community building. Natalie individually affirmed each of the campers in the cabin group, telling them how she’d seen God at work in and through them. Despite her initial hesitation, Natalie found that she had precisely the right words at the right time for each camper. She states that she “felt so connected to them through Christ.”
Through her experience in the LIT program, Natalie found a patience, adaptability, and enthusiasm she didn’t know she had. As she returns to her family and home church of Christus Lutheran in Greenville, WI, she will continue to put these skills to use. She is committed to working with the Synod Youth Board in her region and hopes to return for a second LIT year at camp next year. She has big dreams of one day being a travel nurse. No doubt God will use the gifts she has honed at Fortune Lake for the service of others, wherever the Spirit leads. Thanks be to God for the legacy of faith and service that her family inspired, and thanks be to Natalie for responding to the call!
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