How Working at Summer Camp Together Impacted Our Marriage

When I first came to Inspiration Hills as a Summer Staffer in 2019, I had no idea how many “camp couples” would come out of the summer as a result. It always happens. Even better are the “camp weddings” that ultimately emerge from those relationships! Most summer staffers typically blush when the topic of dating and camp is brought up, but we all know it’s true. Working closely together in a camp environment naturally fosters strong bonds! Those bonds have a way of truly strengthening any relationship, especially your relationship with your partner. This is something I can certainly attest to!

I first met the woman who would turn out to be my wife in college. We both took some classes together and made a connection which would eventually grow into a relationship. She’s from Florida, so naturally by the time summer rolled around, I just HAD to convince her to work with me at camp! I wasn’t about to let her leave me for three whole months! She ultimately agreed to try it out and ended up being co-media coordinator alongside me for the summer of 2021. I remember during her staff interview, our program director asked each of us, “Do you think you can handle working together while being in a relationship?” It was an interesting question because it made me realize how much of a leap of faith we were taking. I was forced to consider the “what ifs”. “What if things don’t work out? What if we get into a fight? Are we taking things too fast?”

However, as we spent the summer together, we had an awesome time! To this day, I consider our time working together at Summer Camp as the most impactful moment for our relationship. Summer Camp has this wonderful way of challenging people to work as a team. During the summer, we were forced to solve problems together, get to know each other’s habits, and just have a good time together! Some of my favorite memories were having her cut my hair late at night because she wanted to learn how (she ended up just shaving my entire head), timing every time we’d ride the golf cart down to Wilderness camp to try to beat our record, and staying up late talking and getting to know each other. In marriage, every couple has to learn how to communicate, solve problems together, resolve conflict, encourage each other, and most importantly, grow Spiritually together. I can’t think of any better place to go through a “marriage trial run” than at Summer Camp!