Skyline Encourager 2nd and 3rd Session-Michelle Bloom
Hey, Skyline family!
This is Michelle Bloom, but some of you may know me as Miss Showers. I’ve been around camp for quite a while- my first summer was 2004! Since then, I have been a camper, JC, counselor, head counselor, summer admin, and most recently I was one of the summer encouragers!
During the year, I live in Auburn and teach sixth grade. I love my job and the people I get to do life with here, but there’s nothing quite like spending a summer on Lookout Mountain. Since my very first summer, I have only missed three summers (2020-2022). Last year, I knew that I needed to go back to camp. I sit in a unique situation- I am a few years older than a counselor typically is but I don’t work my “real job” over the summer. When I was told about this new role of encourager, I was excited to jump back into the world of summer camp!
This role was created to give the staff a live in mentor, essentially. Sally, Ivy, and Frances wanted there to be people on staff dedicated to lifting up the counselors that pour out so much throughout the session. Having been in their shoes, I knew that I would be able to find the ways to encourage them. To make it even better, I got to team up with my best friend!
Madison and I met in 2015 when we were both counselors. It was Madison’s first summer, and my third year on staff. We became fast friends! We bonded over circus, star gazing, and Sally’s ice cream. When we found out that we would be encouragers together, we immediately started brainstorming how we can be a light to the girls on staff. Being a counselor is so much fun, but it can also be tiring. Our goal was to find the joy in camp and highlight all the best parts of spending your summer living and working with your friends.
We had a lot of fun giving out crazy straws and decorating Hot Box, but the best part of the job was forming meaningful relationships with the counselors. Walking around and visiting people in activities was such a fun way to watch counselors thrive. I was able to see interactions I would’ve missed had I just been in one activity. I saw them utilize strengths, watched them change lives in real time, learned new things from them, and witnessed them exemplify Christ-like love. My favorite part of the day was Beli Deli when a group of counselors would come sit in a circle of chairs by the dining hall. We referred to it as the encouragement circle. I have never laughed as much or smiled as hard as I did during those times in the encouragement circle. It was always a rotation of counselors from all age groups. I was able to get to know people deeply. The encouragement circle is my new favorite spot at camp!
After a month, it was time for me to say goodbye to another summer at camp. I left with new best friends and a renewed spirit. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of the good works that happen at Camp Skyline.
