Fruits of the Spirit

Emanie Colon spent 15 summers at Camp Deerpark, both as a camper and a staff member. She also attended camp for weekend retreats with her church, United Revival Mennonite Church. Emanie was a camper when summer camp transitioned from the 10-day camps for specific age groups to the rolling one-week camps open to all ages, and she was ecstatic. She recalls being asked for input about the switch. “My parents sent me for every week of the five weeks,” she said. “I could come for all summer and I loved it!”

One of her first memories of camp was when the Bible verse for the summer was Galatians 5:22–23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” (RSV)

Emanie still remembers the song that the counselors made up for the campers to sing so that they could remember the verse. She also remembers the speaker and the topics that were covered that year. “Sister Pamela from King of Glory Tabernacle Church was the camp summer pastor and I remember her speaking about peace, and being kind, and the fruits of the Spirit,” she said. Emanie carried the fruits of the Spirit when she was away from camp and at camp in the coming years that she attended. “The fruits of the Spirit have really been a part of who I am,” Emanie reflected. And she proved it when she was awarded the Peace Leadership Award in 2008.“It was pretty cool that as a kid that had stuck with me and then I got that award when I was a little older,” she said.

Once Emanie realized that the fruits of the Spirit meant so much to her, she couldn’t help but point out other ways that Camp Deerpark emphasized the scripture. She immediately mentioned the motels: “The motels are all named for the fruits of the Spirit! Faithfulness, Kindness, Goodness, Love.”

Emanie remembered other experiences at camp that impacted her. When Emanie was a camper she had three counselors who meant a lot to her. They were with her for all of her time at camp and they made her want to become a staff member. “Just seeing the staff and the way they were with campers really motivated me to work at camp,” she said. “They encouraged me and they were so loving—Talibah, Joyse, Onan—those three. I just remember the joy and the happiness and all the things that they taught us.”

The counselors taught her how to live a Christ-like life, she said, using the fruits of the Spirit, being kind to one another and showing love to others.

When Emanie worked at camp she made sure that she used the fruits of the Spirit to show the campers how to live like Christ. She loved working with the kids and hopes that she made an impact on them. “These children come from all different backgrounds and areas,” she said. “Knowing that you are helping them by sharing what you know and sharing God’s love is really a good feeling.”

Emanie worked as the program assistant for two years and as a counselor for one year. She was also the head cook for the last year that she worked at camp. She was responsible for making all the food for the camp but she didn’t find it too stressful. The kids would come and give her a hug whenever she looked down or stressed. She found joy in the little things that the kids would do. “I felt like it was a great way to close off my camp summer job,” she said. “It was a great way to close that chapter.”

Emanie cannot imagine what her life would be like if she hadn’t gone to Camp Deerpark. “It has molded me into who I am and who I’ve become as a young adult—a young adult in Christ,” she said. “It’s just always been there for me.” She hopes that her church continues to take retreats there for the rest of her life because “camp is holy ground.”

“It’s just special,” she said. “Every time you come, you gain something new.” Everybody at camp has an important job in Emanie’s mind because they all made such a big impact on her and they all care about the camp and the mission behind it. She has met many people at camp who are now her lifelong friends.

“At camp I learned how God works and how you can be faithful to God, and how you can show God’s love through the fruits of the Spirit,” she said. “I learned how you can live a Godly life, a Christ-like life. Galatians 5:22–23 is what camp is to me. That’s my memory of camp’s impact on my life.”

—Written by Dillon Hershey, Goshen College intern.

Emanie Colon, a former camper and staff member, attends United Revival Mennonite Church in Brooklyn.

SIGNS and WONDERS

Look closely at the Camp Deerpark grounds and you’ll notice that on each motel hangs a handmade sign quoting one of the fruits of the Spirit. The signs are one of Grandpa’s earliest contributions to Camp Deerpark. Alfred “Grandpa” Kruse found much joy at camp. The anticipation before the trip, the glorious time in staying at camp and the memories upon leaving were all part of the wonderful atmosphere of camp. When contemplating what camp meant to Alfred Kruse, it can be absolutely said that he loved Camp Deerpark.

—Laura, Vincent, and Jeanette Kruse, grandchildren of Al and Dottie Kruse.

Excerpt from Winter 1995 Camp Deerpark Newsletter, written soon after Alfred’s passing.

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