For over 40 years, Windy Gap, a Christian youth camp, has been a popular location for kids across North Carolina. The chance to spend a week away from home, engage in exciting activities, and build new friendships keeps them coming back year after year. Junior Carly Fagundus has spent plenty of summers as a camper herself, but recently, she got a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes work that keeps Windy Gap so popular.

     Fagundus spent the weekend of March 28 as a part of the Work Crew program at a Christian camp called Windy Gap. The camp is sponsored by Young Life, a Christian youth organization found in schools of all different levels across the country. Fagundus’ job over the three days was to serve food and drinks to families attending the camp for family weekend.

     “It was such a cool experience because you get there and all of a sudden they’re just throwing [tasks] at you and you have this huge serving plate, rushing back and 

Photo by Kaylee Caviness

forth… trying not to run into people,” Fagundus said. “But then at the end of it, you’re with all your friends and you get to pray over everybody and you get to clean up and see that yes it is a big mess but also think about the amazing stories they got to tell over dinner or the amazing things they got to learn or teach other people.”

     To work at a camp like this, students are recommended by their Young Life leader and are given the opportunity if they are interested. Fagundus’ leader in this case was Rose Alumna Sarah Grace Aldridge. After this exciting experience at Windy Gap, Fagundus plans to return to the work crew for three weeks this summer.

     “[Two of my friends] did work crew this past summer…they said they made lifelong friendships, met so many cool people, and heard amazing stories of the people they met of how [their faith] has influenced their life,” Fagundus said. “It was incredible hearing all of them talk about it, so I was like ‘Why not do it for the weekend, just to try it out, I think this would be really fun.’”

     A typical day at Windy Gap for Fagundus started at 6:30, walking to the cafeteria and eating breakfast before the guests arrived to eat theirs. After their meal, members of the work crew would clean up and prepare the tables with cups, plates, napkins and more, then begin serving food for the first meal of the day.

     “My favorite part [was when] the music would come on and we would start to clean; we’re wiping down tables and picking up chairs and mopping the floors, singing our hearts out, it was awesome,” Fagundus said.

     Along with their service responsibilities, Fagundus and the other crew members had free time during the day to relax and take part in activities the camp had to offer. Times like these helped enhance the camp experience for Fagundus and strengthen her new friendships.

     “When we had our free time, we would go do a bible study on this hill, and it was just a beautiful view, seeing all of the mountains and all of the kids playing and having fun,” Fagundus said. “[My day] was just like that on repeat, just hanging out and meeting new people.”

     Going into the weekend, Fagundus did not sign up with a group of friends that were coming with her, so the first thing she had to do was make new connections with people she met while she was there. Spending a weekend with these new people allowed Fagundus to connect with them on a deeper level and get to know them beyond the initial interpretations and assumptions that we all make.

     “I met this one girl and…it seems like she is living the perfect life but that’s what you see on the outside,” Fagundus said. “Going to Work Crew and meeting her and getting to know her… that is one of my favorite memories from camp, just getting to connect on such a deeper level with people.”

     While the work crew at camp faced their fair share of challenges, much like any role centered on serving others, Fagundus overcame these obstacles by staying grounded in her purpose and trusting in her own abilities.

     “There were definitely a lot of challenges, as in being exhausted… [but] being able to change my mindset and knowing that I have so much more strength than I think I do makes me not as tired.”

     Fagundus was able to look past the challenges when she saw how many people were impacted by the work she was doing, and how much she loved being able to share her faith and passion with others.

     “[We were] able to walk out of there honestly feeling fresh and new because you would think after working all day long… you would be exhausted, but our cups were filled up,” Fagundus said. “The few times I did get to interact with [the campers], seeing them light up… [and] getting to have a genuine conversation with some of the little kids just really made their day and that was amazing to see.”

     Fagundus’ experience on Work Crew has inspired her to stay connected to her faith throughout the rest of high school and beyond.

     “I think if somebody even had a little bit of interest in doing work crew or something like this, I would say that little spark in your heart is there for a reason,” Fagundus said. “Anybody that wants to do it should try it out because it has had an insane impact on growing my faith and… reassuring me that this is what I want to do with my life.”