Charli's view of staff life over the last 6 weeks. Well this is the last work day for teams in Chiloquin, OR, and its strange to see how fast the summer has gone. It feels like only yesterday I was looking for evening program and water day spots and doing the first safety presentation. I have gotten so close to the youth each week, and even closer to the staff. It is hard to pick my favorite time with them, free time when I get to listen to youth's stories, or during FREDs when I got to bond with the teams, or Spiritual Awakening when youth open up about Speaking Up for each other and for God. I can't wait to come back again as an SLC. I have so many pictures that I want to share but I had to narrow it down to just a few.

SSP has always held a special place in my heart, and the discussion topics on Thursday are a large reason why. It gives me a chance to appreciate all the beauty around us, both in my surroundings and in my peers. A helpful reminder of why I am here and why this organization has sculpted my future so many weeks in a row. 

Sometimes being on staff can be difficult. You have long hours, and hard work. But there are a lot of ways to get excited and relieve some of the difficult parts of being on staff.

For me, the best thing about being on staff is interacting with the campers. They know how to lift my spirits, and they don't even know when they are doing it. These two are a perfect example of campers that brighten my day. On the left is Abbey and on the right is Meg. Whenever they came around, I always got a smile on my face.

As a staffer, and as a cook, there is nothing more exciting than seeing campers come back from the work site, and coming into the kitchen for a snack and a chat. 

Being a first-year SSP staffer, I didn't really know what to expect as a Construction Coordinator. I knew I would be working with youth and counselors, as well as my Construction Team, on projects ranging from decks, stairs, painting, and ramps.  

What I wasn't expecting were the close ties I would be building with those people in addition to the homeowners in the Chiloquin community. Some of the teams I have worked with thus far in the summer have commented on how I always have a smile on when I show up to a site, regardless of the situation or if a problem needed to be fixed.  

Truth be told, the smile is a direct consequence of seeing the volunteers so hard at work to build something for an individual, or individuals, whom they met only a few days ago. Seeing the smiles it brings to homeowners is the frosting on the cake.  

Personally, I have been working on a painting project, a stairs project, and building bunk beds. So far, I've gotten to know a few of the homeowners we are working on projects for: Maria, Anna, and Jack have been so appreciative of the work the volunteers are doing and have even brought out fruit and extra water for the volunteers to eat and drink during the work days. They spend time hanging out with the work teams and are usually out with work teams when I show up to deliver instructions and supplies.  

It's been such a privilege to not only work on behalf of these great people, but also get to know them on a more personal level - hearing about their lives and what's going on in them. This kind of environment has such a positive influence on SSP volunteers, as well as me as a Construction Coordinator.  I never expected to be so moved by a summer spent in service of others. But I couldn't imagine spending my summers any other way.