When Butch and I joined Ministry Bound, we had never been to Ironwood and had
only briefly met a couple of Ironwood staff. We were pretty sure God wanted
us in camp ministry, but we did not have enough exposure or experience to get on
a camp staff. We heard about Ironwood's newly established program, Ministry
Bound, and it sounded like it would be a great fit for us. We'd have
opportunities to serve in all kinds of different areas of camp while learning
about camp. And we have done nothing but learn for the past year. Mr.
Scott told us before we came that camp was like "drinking from a fire hose," and
that statement is one I think of often as I learn new philosophies, watch
campers make decisions, see staff teams work together, wash dishes, attend
services, and serve in tons of other ways here at camp. A year ago, I would have
laughed if someone said it was important for camp to have philosophies for
things like food or vehicles or humor, but every detail is important if you want
to effectively accomplish something. Ironwood has a well defined mission
statement and sees the importance of fulfilling that mission statement,
especially in the details. I believe God is pleased with what is going on here,
and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Erin Archambeau
I
never thought
I would end up at camp. The few camping experiences I had as a camper weren’t
the most enjoyable. I decided to give counseling a try, though, and after my
first summer at Ironwood I was hooked. I heard about the Ministry Bound program
after my second summer counseling (they were just starting the program), but I
still had a year of school left. I remember thinking MB sounded interesting, but
somewhere in the midst of senioritis and graduation, I forgot about it. I ended
up at Ironwood for a third summer, and towards the end of the summer, Mr. Sam
brought up Ministry Bound again. No jobs had opened up for me, and when he
mentioned Ministry Bound, I wondered why I had forgotten about it in the first
place.
I love being trained for future camp work at a
place that is so grounded in philosophy. On the surface, we have a good program,
but if you start to pick things apart, you find there’s a reason behind
everything we do that will match up with something in Ironwood’s mission
statement. Seeing camp from various views is another huge benefit of Ministry
Bound. I appreciate being able to move to different areas, so I can get training
that will help me no matter where I end up.
Audrey Stees
Ministry Bound has been worth the time. There is
just so much that I have learned it is hard to think of it all. One of the
biggest things is that there is a big need for clear communication between
teams. When there is a break down of communication there is a break down in the
whole process of camp. When this happens everyone seems to be affected, the
operations team, the program team, which in turn will affect the campers. One
more thing would be the process of being extremely flexible. If you want to come
into camp work and you are not willing to do anything, then you should probably
consider another occupation.
It is really hard
to describe everything that I have learned while here in Ministry Bound.
While doing the philosophy track, I have learned a many different aspects of the
ministry and their importance; but I think the most important thing I have
learned is about myself and my walk with God. Through the one on one time with
different staff members and friends I have learned that ministry is not
something you do, but who you are. During my time here I have had the
opportunity to work as a counselor in Ike’s Roost, the horsemanship and junior
high camp. Another opportunity I have been given is to work alongside and live with the