“I am a parent, a husband, and a child of God,” Grant Fair comments. “I am a transplant into the suburbs of Chicago, which is a far cry from where I grew up in the country around Navarre, Ohio near Wanake! My hobbies are ‘old man’ hobbies, wood carving and cutting down trees.”
“I arrived at camp to work for the summer with a degree in forestry and at a loss as to what to do with it,” Grant remembers. “I was looking for direction for my life and a place where I could employ my love of the outdoors. I came directly from school that spring and jumped into the new world of working at Wanake.”
“Working as a staff member, I was asked to put the campers first and to build a community where campers can be themselves. Staff training and my supervisor taught me how. At Wanake I learned how to lead fun games that have a positive life impact on all who play. I was coached on how to assist campers in growing a relationship with God by interacting with God’s creation and being included in the community at camp. I gained these skills by doing it 24/7 in a Christ-centered environment in the outdoors. Working at Wanake gave me this opportunity. It is the greatest, hardest job I have ever had.”
I learned how to be an adult and that a job could be fun, stretching, and physically and emotionally demanding all at once. I moved from “lonely lumberjack for life” to allowing God to use me to draw people to Jesus. Working at camp has taught me to put myself on the shelf and serve others. At camp I found work that was truly worth doing, living hard for something greater – sharing Jesus. Camp changed the trajectory of my life.
“What I appreciate most about Wanake is that it is a place for children, teens and young adults to be themselves, grow in relationship with others, and go deeper with God through His creation. My greatest hope is that these opportunities will continue to be available.”
