Campfire Talk by Lauren Thull

Given on August 8, 2024

Hi, as some of you may know, my name is Lauren Thull. I am a second year on staff and I am on FUN SQUAD. If you don’t know me, here are some fun facts about me. I went to Shakopee Area Catholic School aka SACS and grew up in Shakopee. After that, I went to The Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield and now I go to the University of Tampa.

I have been coming up to camp since I was in third grade. Every year I came up to camp I always felt like I was the odd one out because I felt like I was the only one who didn’t go to Eden Prairie. I also came up with none of my friends that went to my schools. Feeling this way, I was always the quietest camper and was very very shy. My counselors would try to crack me and try to get me out of the shell I was in but for the first couple of years up here I liked being in my little shell. I would always go to the arts and crafts room for 11 o’clock activities, and I would never volunteer for any type of challenges that faced me. And I would NEVER play the games.

Until the second high school week I went to. For some odd and crazy reason, I decided to volunteer for the food challenge that we do called man vs food. You stand in front of the camp against 3 other people and you have to eat something pretty gross as fast as you can. Even standing in front of all the campers and counselors was a tough and nerve-wracking thing for me to do and I’m sure my face was just beet red. Anyways, I got up there and I was up against three older boys. All I was thinking is how I was gonna let my team down and everyone would hate me because I would be the one that lost it for our team. They gave me a cup with some pink-looking thing in it that I’m sure was something edible and then they blew the whistle for me to eat it. I quickly swallowed it and looked over at my competitors that weren’t even close to being done with their cup of food. I then hear the loudest cheer I’d heard, and it was for me!!! I did it! And my team was so proud of me! And I was so proud of myself. It was the best feeling in the world knowing that I did something scary and then it turned out way better than I ever expected.

From that moment on, I decided that I was going to slowly come out of my shell and try things that were scary to me, because even if it didn’t go right, at least I tried my best. These unfamiliar situations happened countless amount of times after that. I went from middle school to high school not knowing a single person going around unfamiliar people and places. I came up every single year not knowing a soul at camp, even as a counselor. I would have my great moments when everyone wanted to talk to me and Have my moments where I felt like I was so incredibly alone. And then I moved to college in Florida and it was the same thing, an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. But as I got older I realized that these challenges that were put in my way were the exact things that made me realize who I was and how I wanted to act in life. I realized that I actually really liked being thrown into new situations that I have never tried before. I used to hate coming up to camp because I felt like I was always going to be the one person that had no friends. After stepping out of my comfort zone, I have so many deep bonds with people that I never knew I would be friends with. And I realized that I do love camp and now I run the games instead of running away from them.

Now, looking back, I can see that God was at work in all those moments. God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes those ways are challenging, uncomfortable, even a little scary. But those are the very experiences that reveal our true selves, that help us grow in ways we never imagined. At camp, I’ve always felt God’s presence most strongly through the people around me—my fellow campers, my counselors, and staff members—who helped me find the courage to face those fears and embrace who I truly am.

God didn’t place these challenges in my life at camp to make me feel alone or out of place. Camp has shown me that I’m never truly alone, that I have the strength to step out of my shell, and that being myself is exactly what I’m meant to be. And now, I love camp because it’s a place where I can see God’s work so clearly, where I can be my true self, and where I’ve formed bonds with people I never thought I’d connect with.

Now I will share a bible verse that I resonate with and inspires me

It comes from Isaiah 42:16.

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

And here is the message that I want to share with you all: Do something that scares you. And encourage others to do the same because You never know where it may lead you one day. Being thrown into unfamiliar situations and places may not be such a bad thing after all. Camp can be really scary sometimes but God brought you to camp to grow in faith but also grow into the person that God intended you to be. And BE YOURSELF because you are the only one that can!!!!!!!!