Travis didn’t know what to do with his camper. At age 12, Logan* was the toughest kid in the cabin and wanted to be in charge of everyone and everything. One night, Logan decided he wasn’t going to bed, so Travis and his co-counselor came up with a plan.

OK, they told the obstinate camper, you can stay up–as long as you read the Bible. Logan agreed, except he didn’t have a Bible; in fact, he had never read one. So the co-counselor loaned Logan his Bible, and by the light of the moon and a flashlight, the boy met the heroes of Genesis for the very first time.

The next morning Logan confided to his counselors, I actually found some cool stories in there.He was especially interested in the story of Joseph, and asked many questions, wondering how Joseph was able to do all that he did.

Although Logan still acted tough, you could see the gears starting to turn as he wondered what we were all about, remembered Travis. It was kind of cool to see the change that took place over the week.

Most of the kids who come to Camp Polaris don’t know the Bible. Travis remembers a time when only one camper knew the story of David and Goliath. We’re ministering to kids who don’t grow up in Christian homes, who don’t read the Bible. It takes a lot of prayer to help reach these kids . . . to know how to reach them.

Travis, a senior mechanical engineering student at Walla Walla University, started working at Camp Polaris in 2011. In addition to being a counselor, he has taught a variety of classes including wakeboarding and model rocketry.

I’ve loved it every summer, that’s why I keep going back, he says. It’s been an absolute blast. On top of that, I’ve learned a lot about trusting in God, because you get situations where you don’t know how to make it through the week, but you always do. Then in hindsight, you see that even the tough things were a positive. It definitely is about learning to trust God.

I think I’m a little more comfortable now with just being thrown into a situation. I’ve learned to be flexible and go with the flow, and to be ready for whatever–because you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

*Not his real name.

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