By Pam Kepler
from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Sacramento, CA
Editors Note: Many thanks to Pam and Steve Kepler who are just two of over twenty individual and business contributors to SSP’s matching fund for the Big Day of Giving on May 3. Help us use the entire $10,500 match by donating on Tuesday!
Steve & I have been counselors at SSP many times. I was on the Board and was finance chair. Steve helped out with IT issues. We have volunteered with moving things, mailings, sorting, cooking during training.
It is such an awesome organization – we love helping when we can.
Thinking about SSP trips brought back fond memories of being a counselor – driving the van and singing “Over the Rainbow” with Iz and the campers. Enjoying silly skits. A chance to be goofy and productive at the same time. The gift of experiencing different ways to meditate, pray, connect. The wonderful walks at sunset. Watching our youth learn and grow and understand what being in service means. Remembering long ago when we first became involved with SSP – it was amazing and inspiring – youth working really hard to raise money so they could work really hard. We were curious. We had to see what that was all about. That’s how we first got involved – and once we went – we were hooked!
We were curious.
At SSP we worked hard and played hard, and at the same time we were touched, changed, and got closer to God and one another. We were tired in body, yet renewed in spirit. We were blessed by staff, youth, and other counselors – that’s what kept us coming back – year after year, and why volunteering at SSP is so important – serving SSP as it had so lovingly served us.
