[font="times new roman"] Over the summer I went away to camp for two weeks. I flew into Portland, Maine, far from my home in Georgia, knowing no one, but assured that these two weeks would be the most influential and touching days of my life. I met the other girls of my group at the airport; all we knew about each other was that each of us was ready and excited to volunteer at a camp for children who have cancer. The desire of our hearts was to spend time with some amazing kids who fight for their lives each and every day.
The night before my flight I prayed that God would use me for His purpose and that the kids I would meet would change my life. I prayed that not only would they impact me, but that I would help them even if they didn’t realize it.
During the days leading up to camp, I had a feeling that something big was going to happen in my life. I knew that I would have an amazing time, and that I would be touched by the kids and their families, but I sensed that something more was going to happen.
On Sunday afternoon, the first day of brain tumor week, the families arrived in the afternoon and check in at the front desk. The Hodges family was one of the first to arrive. I just happened to be on my way to help another family unload their car when I saw the Hodges, a young couple with a toddler boy and a little girl of about eight or nine. The little girl had on a little pink hat to cover her hairless head, but at that moment I knew that she was beautiful. I didn’t want to stare at her, but I could not help but watch her as she quietly observed the murals on the walls around her. Like me, she was at Camp Sunshine for the first time, and the detailed paintings on the walls were very amusing when first noticed.
I walked by the family and continued the job I had started, but for some reason the image of the little girl would not leave my mind even when I saw dozens of other adorable kids in the following hour. I tried telling myself that there were going to be so many kids and that I wouldn’t even know if she would be in my group or if I would get to know her at all, but somehow I just had that feeling again, that she would be a huge part of my first week at camp.
The first night was rather relaxed, with an optional magic show after dinner. The group I was with had a meeting after dinner, so by the time it was over, most of the families had already dispersed to their rooms. [/font][font="times new roman"]
The next day after breakfast, parents signed their kids into their day camps. I was a counselor for 6-8 year olds, and with over twenty kids, craziness was in the air. I learned that the name of the little girl with the pink hat was Kirstin. She had a one-on-one counselor, an older lady named Ruth. As a one-on-one counselor, Ruth went wherever Kirstin did, helping her with anything she needed, and staying with her if she ever needed to leave the group. When I realized that Ruth was already with Kirstin all the time, I felt as if I shouldn’t help her as much as I would have wanted otherwise. However, during arts and crafts, I sat near Kirstin and several other kids, that way I would talk with several at the same time and not be exclusively directed towards Kirstin.
The arts and crafts room was loud and crazy, and most kids were talking and making a mess. Kirstin sat like a little doll in her chair and quietly asked for the materials that she wanted. She was very observant of the other kids around her, and she did not care that she sat quietly amongst the commotion. I talked with Kirstin, trying to keep her included with the other children; her soft-spoken answers were in some ways beyond her years.
Next we went swimming; I did not have my swimsuit that day, so I did not swim with the kids. Instead, I sat with Ruth and talked as we watched the kids. I found that she was sweet, and had no problem with my desire to get to know Kirstin. After talking with Ruth, I felt comfortable about spending time with Kirstin. From then on, I was busy playing with all the kids as well as talking with Kirstin and trying to get her to open up a little more.
During lunch and the hour after lunch, the kids are with their parents before signing back into camp. On Tuesday, about half an hour before camp started, I realized I had left something in the dining hall so I went back to get it. Kirstin and her mom were inside by the puzzles, and Kirstin ran over to me when she saw me. She gave me a big hug and handed me a drawing. The words “Kirstin and Hannah” were surrounded by flowers and a butterfly. Her drawing is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen and I now have it proudly displayed on my bulletin board at home. This gift marked a change which was just the beginning of a smiling and happy Kirstin for the rest of the week. I took the picture back to my room and showed it off to all my friends with tears in my eyes. Again, I knew that this little girl is who God would use to impact my life.
Wednesday morning Ruth came up to me to tell me that she had an emergency with a dear friend back home, and that she needed to leave. She told me that she noticed that Kirstin would light up when she saw me, and Ruth wanted me to take her position as Kirstin’s one-on-one counselor. I just thought “Wow! This must be a part of God’s amazing plan!” I knew God was the One who gave me the my initial reaction on the first day of camp, and it was part of His plan for everything to work out so that I would become her one-on-one counselor.
Kirstin and I enjoyed our morning together, and this time I had my suit when it was time to swim. I still remember the feeling I had when she unexpectedly slipped her small hand in mine as we changed activities. Her action was a subtle surprise, and I felt loved and trusted just because of that one small gesture. The first time I saw her I thought that she was beautiful, with gorgeous big brown eyes, but she became even more beautiful as I began to see a change, her face became bright, and her smile just lit up her face and mine.
By the end of the week, Kirstin was laughing so hard and a smile never left her face. She never stopped amazing me with her observant and peaceful attitude. She is such a strong little girl who has faced more in her nine years than I could ever imagine. The last three days went by before I knew it, and I ended up with several more pictures, friendship bracelets, and hundreds of memories. Even when she gave me one final hug goodbye before walking away, I knew that it would not be the last.
Now when I’m anxious or worried about something miniscule in my life, I see the bracelets on my wrist and her face in my mind and I realize how much I take for granted and how lucky I am to know such an amazing girl. I still write letters to Kirstin and she’s continued to make me little crafts. Each card, craft, and memory I have from her means more to me than any grade or problem in my life. I pray that she continues to fight her tumor with her patience and peace, and that someday she will know how much she has impacted my life and how important she is to me.
Kirstin has taught me how to be patient and let God decide what will happen. He planned our friendship down to the exact moment; He plans so much more than that. I now know what I want to do with my life; I want to work with children like Kirstin. I want to help them through their courageous fight with cancer and be a friend during the hard times. Until then, I intend to focus on the important things in life, such as relationships, love, and life itself.
Please give me any feedback, thoughts, comments, stories, or anything that you want to say about my story! Thank you for reading about such an amazing little girl! [:)]
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