Interning at Black Diamond Camp - Part 2

Cultural Compass
Jun 19
4 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Contributor: Elcie Martin

Being at Black Diamond has taught me that being a servant to the Lord is not always about being on a stage preaching the Gospel or being on the worship team at a church. Sometimes serving the Lord can be making a bed, cleaning bathrooms, serving guests during meals at camp, painting a building, and even blowing the fallen leaves off of the roads during autumn season.

Becoming Independent

I strongly advocate that young adults move to a different state or country at least once in their lives. You grow in so many amazing different ways and you get to learn so much about life, God, and yourself.

One thing I will always be proud of myself for is having the confidence in myself to make the big move away from my small hometown in North Carolina. “If you set your mind to it, you can do it.” That is a sentence I have heard for years and would sometimes brush off, but I am grateful for it now.

My parents have always told me from a young age that if I ever had a dream I wanted to pursue, I could do it. Now, they always made sure to give me a list of realistic pros and cons, but without a doubt they never told me I couldn’t do it.

While I was independent in my parents’ house by keeping a job and owning a car, I got to experience a different kind of independence by living alone in Washington state. I’ve learned how to budget for things like groceries, taxes, rent, and personal expenses. I can’t tell you how independent you’ll become when your mom isn’t there to do your laundry!

Full Circle

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was preparing to spend my last summer in North Carolina before I moved all the way across the country to pursue a dream. It’s also crazy that I lived in the Pacific Northwest for nine months and I can say with confidence that I am not the person I was in June 2024. I have grown so much as a person and in ways I didn’t even know I could grow!

Serving the Lord is not always a pretty picture and it can feel like we’re not serving Him at all, but we ARE. Working at Black Diamond has taught me that serving the Lord is not something we do for the approval of those around us, but that we do it for Him and to honor Him. Through this experience, I have grown closer to the Lord and my walk with Him has become stronger.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.” Colossians 3:23 CSB.

I’ve grown more confident in myself in so many aspects and I am so incredibly thankful for every person that I have met through this internship!

Odyssey and Black Diamond

Before Black Diamond Camp there was Odyssey Leadership, a year filled with laughter, adventure, growth, learning, leadership, and friendship. Odyssey Leadership isn’t just a program, it’s a family. Anyone who has walked through this program will tell you that.

I have had the greatest honor of being a part of this truly amazing program and its follow-up program, Odyssey Connections, over the last two years. I can say without a doubt I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for these programs and the people involved.

Like Black Diamond, I was nervous to pursue Odyssey, but I am so happy I did for so many reasons. Odyssey prepared me in many ways for Black Diamond and in ways I didn't even know about until I was at Black Diamond.

One thing we do in Odyssey is we do personality tests like Myers-Briggs and Spiritual Gifts. The reason for this is to learn not only our own personality traits and how God created us, but to also learn about each other and how to work with other people who have different personalities and different approaches to working on group projects.

This was very helpful during Odyssey Leadership and even more helpful for preparing for Black Diamond. Because I had experienced firsthand what it was like working with others that may not think or work like I do, I was able to apply those principles and techniques in the internship and it helped me so much.

I am truly thankful for everything that Odyssey has taught me and how it has prepared me for so many things in my life. It truly was the best year of my life and I am so happy that I have been able to take what I have learned in Odyssey to Black Diamond and other parts of my life!

Next for the Future!

Black Diamond Camp is an amazing place to work, whether as a counselor during the summer or as an intern throughout the year. I am incredibly thankful for the first year of the internship. I will be at home in North Carolina for a few months before I return to Washington to do a second year of the internship!

I will be shadowing the Guest Services Program at Black Diamond as well as being a part of our new Outdoor Education Program! I am very excited to see what the second year holds and what I will learn and continue to grow in. I know it is going to be another amazing year and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me and for the rest of Black Diamond Camp!

A Note to Challenge Families

If there are any current or freshly graduated Challenge IV students reading this and you are nervous about what the future holds, it’s okay to be scared and nervous. I was exactly where you are right now two years ago and am here to tell you that you’ve got this! Whatever the future holds for you, I know without a doubt that you are going to do incredible, amazing things!

And parents, your kids are going to be okay. They are going to be world changers in so many ways. Not just because of the skills they’ve gained from Classical Conversations, but because they will always have the power, strength, and protection of our Lord and Savior.