Every summer without exception, there will be campers of all different ages who struggle with homesickness. And for a lot of us staff members, it’s hard to relate. We get to go home on the weekends, call our families on our free time, and take comfort in the fact that we’re really not too far away from home. We often don’t realize that for a lot of these kids it’s the only time of the year where they are away from their families, and that going out to camp even for a week takes a degree of courage that some of us will never understand.
It’s for this reason (among many others) that were are blessed to have Dianna Wiens on our spring and summer staff teams this year. Dianna moved to Canada in January of this year from Paraguay to study missions at Steinbach Bible College. While seeing how well she’s adapted to her surroundings here at RRBC, it’s easy to forget how difficult such a drastic move can be.
“Moving here has been a great challenge for me to learn about this culture,” she says. “To change cultures and languages like this is not as easy as it looks. Since my family is not here, I have to stand pretty much on my own feet, which brings me closer to God and it forces me to make new friends which has been pretty cool.”
That being said, Dianna is getting along famously with our staff here, and it was clear from the very first day that she wouldn’t have a problem fitting in. One of the reasons is because she’s hilarious. She’ll claim that we’re just laughing at her most of the time, but I assure you she is certainly not lacking in the humour department. The joy that comes from her awesome stories from Paraguay, or her frustration with our terrible Spanish accents is a real boost to morale around here.
However, Dianna is not here just to be Camp Comedian, as she is very excited to build relationships as a counsellor this summer.
“I can’t wait to gain experience through this ministry,” she says. “Here at camp I want to serve God and reach out to the heart of the campers, and I look forward to working together in the love of Christ with the other staff here.”
That love of Christ is something Dianna models on a daily basis, and something she accurately recognizes as one of the gifts God has given her.
“God has given me a gift to love, and I will be able to use that here,” says Dianna. “My heart longs for other people, to get to know their thoughts, their culture, and their language, and it fills my heart with joy to be able to worship the same great God with them.”
Dianna is ready for God to use her during her time at camp, however, she will still need prayer in order to do that. Pray that she can remain strong through missing her family, and pray that she relies on God in every circumstance during her time here so that she can endure through His strength.
