From Campers to Full Time Staff: K & B

As we get ready for another year of summer camp, we wanted to share more Oakridge testimonials with you! Kellen Redder and Breanna Geiger both served on summer staff with us in 2018 (Breanna many years previously), and have been serving at Oakridge ever since. They are amazing young adults with fun attitudes, and they both prioritize community and fellowship. We appreciate their service so much. You can read Kellen's and Breanna’s thoughts about camp & enjoy a few photos of them as campers and as staffers below!

                Kellen: My experience here at Oakridge has been one to remember. I started coming to Oakridge when I was a little kid visiting with my church for summer camp. The time being here on camp made an impact on my life -  I was getting to spent time learning more about God, while still having fun doing some of the activities here with my friends. As I knew I was getting too old to come out here as a camper I started volunteering and helping around the camp for a week.

                As I got a feel for what camp life was like and what it takes to work here, I decided I would come back later and work as summer staff. The staff here at Oakridge are so welcoming, and they make you feel so at home interacting with you and making you feel like a part of the team. The friends I have made here working at the camp will be friends I will know for a lifetime, as I got to meet so many amazing people here. After summer was coming to an end, I decided to stay out here longer and became an intern for a year, and I am so glad I have stayed out here because I am able to do what God has wanted me to do.

                Breanna: Oakridge has always been a place that affects me. I have been coming back 11 or 12 years now, and it still means just as much to me as an adult as it did when I was a kid. When I was in the 6th grade, my church decided to try a new summer camp after going to the same one for years and years – this obviously concerned my 12-year-old mind. But, after spending 5 days here learning and worshipping with my friends at this new place, with staffers that made us feel so cool and special, my little world felt like it was changing. I HAD to be a staffer at this place. Now here I am, 24 years old, and I live with the girl on the stage who I thought was so awesome - and get to work for a boss who has been teaching me for half of my life.

                Working at this camp has done so much for me as a kid, and even more as an adult. I loved the contrast that this place had to other camps I had experienced – how much more intimate it felt and how everyone that worked here seemed to love each other and the campers so much. Now, I can attest to the truth behind that impression that we give campers. It is so easy to love the people you work with, the job that you do every day, and the opportunity to serve campers and make them feel like they matter when you are surrounded by people who are imitating Christ. I have been nothing short of blessed with everything Oakridge has given to me. 

Please join us in prayer that God would send the right people to work at Oakridge this year! Jesus-loving, servant minded leaders are so needed at camp – during summer AND all year!

Camp Love Story: A & L

Last month we had an exciting event! Two of our staff, Angel & Leah, who met at Oakridge were married at The Ridge on April 21.  They are our fifth Oakridge staff couple to get married after working together at the camp. Here are their words! 
    
Angel: I came out to Oakridge full-time in March 2015. I was introduced to Brian and Oakridge through a friend. My friend literally came to my house, picked me up, and said, “I'm taking you out to Oakridge today.” I came from a “bad boy” background, so it took me a while to build trust and grow in my responsibilities at Oakridge. But as I committed myself each day to follow the Lord and to work hard for Him, God was faithful to give me more advanced tasks. I have grown a lot spiritually through our staff's daily Bible reading and discussion and also through faithful church attendance. Last year, I was joined at Oakridge by my two sons, who have lived with me here for about a year now.
    
Leah: I came to Oakridge in July 2015. I had graduated from John Brown University in May 2015, and I had a job for the first part of summer, but not the last half. And then no full-time job in sight for the fall. So, on my days off during the first half of the summer, I went to the local library to search the Internet for either a job for the second half of the summer or a full-time job for the fall. I was interested in everything from being a group-home parent to working at a Christian school to working at a camp. Finally, I googled “camps that need someone to work the second half of the summer,” and Oakridge popped up. I sent in my application and got the job! So I finished out the summer at Oakridge and decided to stay on for a year. One year turned into two, and now, this upcoming July will mark 3 years for me being on staff at Oakridge. At first, I mainly worked in housekeeping and would help with food service and activities on the weekends. In 2016, the opportunity arose for me to become a cook in the kitchen. They started me out with smaller groups and worked me up to be able to be the main dinner cook for 100+ people. That with a lot of helpers, though! I feel like I already came to Oakridge as a decent person, but the Ball family and all of the awesome volunteers that come out showed me that I could still grow more as a person. Especially on longer, harder work days, it is the perseverance and joy of other staff that challenges me to keep on going with a good attitude. 
    
Angel and Leah first expressed interest in each other in the fall of 2016. Like every relationship, they have had their ups and downs since then. Angel saw in Leah a humble, hard-working, sacrificial, servant-hearted gal; Leah saw in Angel a hard-working man, love for the Lord, and an overcoming spirit, which was important to her when considering someone with whom to spend the rest of her life. Finally, after much prayer, Angel proposed to Leah in February 2018. With a busy summer camp season looming ahead, Leah didn't want to wait until after summer to get married. So they got married on April 21. They have both served well at camp as singles, and they are anxious to serve the Lord at camp as a married couple.

We are so THANKFUL for Leah and Angel. They have both been an answer to prayer for Oakridge and we desperately wish we could clone them and have ten of each model! Please keep them in your prayers as they launch a new season of ministry as a couple and family of four. They love the Lord and testify to the Spirit's presence in their lives through their incredible attitudes and heart for service! - Jaime

Leah and Angel got married at our new conference and event center, The Ridge! Check out theridgeok.com for information about hosting your next party or event there!

*All photos by Captive Moment Photography