From Camper to Staffer: Jacob Reaves’ Summer at Impact!

Impact! Mission Camps have been an important part of my life for a long time. I have been to Impact four times before as a camper, and camp has always been a highlight of my summers. While I was at Impact during the summer of 2018, one of the staff members encouraged me to apply for staff for 2019. I submitted an application and was accepted, I and have spent this summer working for Impact Mission Camps. It has been one of the best summers of my life.

I really did not know what to expect as a staff member. As a camper, I would see the staff visiting job sites and running worship services, but I was sure there would be more than that this summer. There were so many more opportunities for me as staff. But the two things I enjoyed most while working for Impact this summer were working on job sites and sharing my testimony during evening worship services.

I have always enjoyed working with my hands and building things. I learned parts of construction from my dad for years and minored in carpentry during college. This summer, I got to use these skills during Impact. As staff we visit job sites throughout the week and occasionally go out and help if they are short-handed. But this summer I even got to work as a crew chief on a job site one week. I got to work on a house and teach the students some of the things I knew, and I got to watch as the home transformed through the week. Getting to use the gifts God has given me was an awesome experience.

While I love carpentry and working on a job site, I hate public speaking. However, to my surprise, giving my testimony each week was one of the most rewarding parts of the job. I realized early this summer that after my testimony, students were more likely to come to me and talk. I loved talking to the students and hearing their stories and sharing mine. That has been my favorite part of this summer. Getting to know people and making connections has been the highlight of this experience.

I am so glad that I applied for staff and got to spend the summer working for Impact. Getting to use my love for carpentry and my love for people has been a great experience. I loved getting to see a new side of Impact that I never got the chance to see as a student. While I will not be able to work on staff again, I would if I had the opportunity and would recommend it as a great way to spend the summer having fun and serving God.