Guides are the unsung heroes of Family Camp. They’re fun, friendly summer staffers who love Jesus and love adventure. All summer, guides serve Family Camp guests and work tirelessly to provide the best camp experience possible. These staffers are the life of the party and the behind-the-scenes crew all at once. In short … guides are a huge part of the Family Camp experience!

Sometimes, guides were first guests who attended Family Camp for years with their parents and siblings before working here. This is always special, because these individuals go from experiencing camp as a camper to being part of impacting guests firsthand. They get to see how Family Camp runs from the inside, experience camp from a new perspective, and serve their own families during their sessions! 

The Fowler and McGinty families experienced the camper-to-guide journey this year, with Alyssa Fowler and Caleb McGinty working as Family Camp guides and serving many families throughout the summer, including their own parents and siblings! 

 

 

Guide: Alyssa Fowler 

Parent: Nicole Fowler 

Attended Family Camp: Since 2013

 

Guide: Caleb McGinty

Parent: Ione McGinty 

Attended Family Camp: Since 2018

 

Our team had the chance to chat with these families to get an inside look at the experience! Here’s what they said:

 

Question for the Guides

Q: What’s your favorite part of working at Family Camp? In what ways is your experience different now than when you were a camper?

 Alyssa: I really enjoy getting to know families as well as the community it has brought. It’s much less of a “relaxing” experience but such an amazing experience as you get to serve and not be served.

Caleb: Being outdoors, bonding with believers, and growing in Christ the entire summer.

Question for the Parents

Q: What keeps your family coming back to Family Camp? 

Nicole Fowler: Early on it was to strengthen our family unit. As the kids grew, it was to grow us closer to each other and to the Lord. As these reasons continue to drive our desire to return, we now return to reconnect with the precious families we have grown to know and love through Family Camp.

Ione McGinty: It is such a needed break from all the cares of the world and time set aside intentionally for strengthening our bond as a family and with God. It is such a blessing to have everything at our fingertips like the wonderful meals, activities, worship, and Bible study. The break from the Texas heat and mosquitos is a bonus too! We also really value the relationships with the other families we meet there. At the first Family Camp we met the Fowler’s. They have been such an encouragement to us and such a blessing.

Questions for the Guides 

Q: What made you want to come back and serve at Family Camp instead of just attending this year? 

 Alyssa: I was actually going to go do missions for a chunk of the summer but … the Lord was calling me here! I always loved the idea of being a guide but never thought I’d actually follow through with it until I fully realized it’s where the Lord needed me!

Caleb: I always loved the guides and how kind and intentional they were, so I wanted to do that for other people and be in God’s beautiful creation. 

Q: What was your experience like this week while your family attended?

 Alyssa: It was difficult as you don’t get to spend much time with them but it was sweet to see them be served by my new community here.

Caleb: Amazing, so refreshing to hangout with them. 

Questions for the Parents

Q: What was it like returning this year with a member of your family on staff? In what ways was the experience different or rewarding? Has this experience changed your family’s perspective of Family Camp? 

Nicole: We loved attending camp with Alyssa working!!! She was excited to serve this summer with Glorieta Family Camp and we enjoyed seeing her flourish in this role. … It was definitely a blessing to see the full circle moment since she was once a wide-eyed excited child enjoying Glorieta as a Family Camper. . . . Alyssa’s experience as a staffer has allowed us to see the blessing that Family Camp is to the families attending as well as the blessed opportunity to serve. 

Ione: It was such a blessing to return this year with Caleb on staff and to see him just flourishing in this environment. Seeing the joy on his face was evidence of the positive growth and influence that Family Camp has had on him not only as a camper in the past but now  as a guide. This experience was a little different in that I felt that it was like we had come full circle. It was a blessing to see Caleb pouring himself into serving other families there and making sure they had a great experience. … Having Caleb on staff at Glorieta has led us to feel more invested in Family Camp. We feel a deep desire to do whatever we can to be a part of it and promote the mission of the camp. 

 

Ongoing Impact

Question for the Guides 

Q: What would you say to anyone considering working at Family Camp? 

 Alyssa: IT’S SO WORTH IT!!!! It’s nothing like anything else. It’s so challenging in many ways but that’s the beauty of it. You get to depend on the Lord fully while growing in so many ways. Also just serving the Lord and serving families is beyond rewarding 

Caleb: Do it, it’s a lot of work but it’s so fulfilling. Stand on your beliefs, defend your faith, and strive for righteousness. 

Question for the Parents

Q: What would you say to a family considering coming to Family Camp for the first time? 

Nicole: What I always tell families that are considering Family Camp for the first time is to go for it!!! You will not regret it. It is an intentional time of spiritual, physical, and emotional growth both individually and as a family. It is a financial commitment but worth every penny as you will walk away from an all-inclusive family vacation with the souvenir of a closer walk with the Lord.

Ione McGinty: I would say to a family considering coming to Family Camp, “Just do it!”

It is SO worth it! It’s normal to have reservations about doing something new. The moment that we arrive at camp, I am filled with such gratitude! You will not regret the time that you invest in your family. Forget about all the cares of the world, take in His beautiful creation, and meet new friends. There’s a reason that we keep coming back! At Glorieta you will truly enjoy feeling the goodness of God!!