Hello Mystic Lakers!

Camp counselor Jenna is in the process of applying to college and applying for college scholarships. For one of her applications she took inspiration from her time at Mystic Lake and wanted to share it with all of you! We are lucky to have you Jenna!

Mystic Magic

My best outdoor recreation memory happened this summer while working as a camp counselor at Mystic Lake YMCA Camp of Lansing Michigan. It is not a single memory that I have but a blur of summer that I spent canoeing, hammocking, hiking, singing, climbing and teaching campers about the great outdoors. Mystic Lake is not like any other place you have been before. There is this crazy force that always pulls you back. I like to call it Mystic Magic. This magic not only makes you want to come back but it also tells you to never to leave.

I would like to think magic is real but it’s not. The Mystic Magic I am talking about is created by my fellow counselors and the memories we make together. Late nights in the dining hall bonding over mosquito bites and campers. We gave each other the Mystic Magic. We passed it to campers while they were achieving their goal high up on the rock wall, learning how to swim, and listening to the camp legend of Bruno. The Mystic Magic is what kept us moving when we had four hours of sleep, a troubled camper, and not enough energy to keep going. It is and was the Mystic Magic that was the spark to the fire inside of me.

The memories that I group together and call Mystic Magic is special to me because it taught me many different things. Over the course of the summer of 2017 I learned how to be patient. To have patience is the key to any difficult encounter with any person, especially kids. I was taught the true meaning of family. Family can be anyone, anywhere. They do not have to be related to you. They are the people that will support you through your most challenging times. They are the people that make you laugh when you thought nobody else could. I was taught the importance of family and friends.

Mystic Magic is remarkable to me because it showed me how to be comfortable while being myself. I was brought out of my shell of social anxiety. I was surrounded by people who did not judge me for being me. This experience is unforgettable because of the feeling it gave me. The feeling of being free from the confinements of society. I was my best self around my Mystic family. They did not want me to wear a mask to impress them. They were impressed when I was being myself. I will never forget this feeling of open arms for being true to who I am.

The Mystic Magic guided me to be the best role model and leader I could be. I was taught that every kid needs a positive role model in their life. As a camp counselor I could give kids the Mystic Magic for a week. The week they spent with me, was a week they didn’t have to worry about their next meal or having a bed to sleep in. Mystic Magic lets kids be kids.

My best outdoor recreation experience was Mystic Magic, made of dirty feet, mosquito bites, and the support of each other. The unforgettable feeling of family created at Mystic Lake where dreams come true.

"Mystic Lake is the happiest place on earth and I’ve been to Disney.” -Amiee Woodrow

Thank you for sharing your camp experience with us Jenna!

Thanks To You

The holidays are a small slow down for Mystic Lake. We have wrapped an exciting fall season working with many schools and are now gearing up for our winter retreats and conferences all while we prep to do it all over again for 2018. During this season of gratitude I wanted to share with you a few of the things I am thankful for.

I'm thankful my job is camp. I'm thankful for the days going to work means I'm on my way to say hello to the pioneer girls, give elbow bumps to the challenge boys and then head to assembly after breakfast. I'm thankful I get to lead campers in the long version of Rise and Shine because its my favorite song and nothing gets me more excited for the rest of the day. I'm thankful campers trust me to teach them swim lessons in the cool summer mornings. Thankful that I get to share my love of synchronized swimming with campers and thankful they push through performances even when the speaker shorts out. I'm thankful I get to walk home each night to the sounds of laughter pouring out cabin windows. I'm thankful campers tell me this is the happiest place they have ever been and thankful they love their counselors. I'm thankful campers feel safe here and are able to be the most genuine versions of themselves. I'm thankful that being a goof is embraced, that you're encouraged to sing loud even if you think you're not good at it and that whoever you are is welcome here. I'm thankful for the slow songs and for the way camp feels when we sing them.

I'm thankful my job is camp. I'm thankful that I get to work with an inspiring group of people who put others before them, who allow giant bins of water to be dumped on them, who leave encouraging notes in my mailbox, who inspire me to be the best me I can be, who stay up late to take their kids stargazing and people who care about each other and are able to show it. I'm thankful that I always have someone to talk to about my struggles, that when I ask for 100 wood cookies to be cut by the evening program they are done, that I have a team who remembers the small details and makes sure they're completed and that whenever I ask for help I can always count on getting it. 

I'm thankful my job is camp. I'm thankful to finish my days knowing what my staff and I have done has made the world better. I'm thankful we help kids grow and teach campers honesty, caring, respect and responsibility. I'm thankful parents allow this team of young people to help shape their kids. I'm thankful I get to see campers turn into our staff. I'm thankful for the moments that seem small but are actually the biggest. Finally, I am thankful for each one of you who took time to read this and let me share this with you. 

Have a Happy Holiday season!

-Amiee