thank you for calling look up lodge...

another part of my job involves guest services.

i would not hesitate to say that parts of this are the least fitting to my skill set in this job. but other parts fit just right.

my guest service requirements during the summer are much narrower than the school year.

during the summer (minus the occasional filling in for others) my duties are carrying the guest service after hours phone, answering the phone when the front desk is on the other line, and setting up for the leaders meetings we have at the beginning and end of each camp session.

setting up for the leaders meeting includes setting up chairs, printing and laying out evaluations, baking cookies, and filling coolers. although by this time in the summer this part of my job has gotten a little tiresome (well all parts really) this side of guest services fits me perfectly. i like order and organization and baking. and that is what this needs. it is behind the scenes and often a small place of solace from the madness that is camp.

answering the office phone can come in many shades and colors. often i just transfer someone to a voicemail box. but sometimes, people think i have all the answers. and as i usually have to disappoint them after they explain their situation and tell them, 'im sorry but i really cant answer that or help you with that, can i transfer you to [name]'s voicemail' they still just want to tell me what they need. sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes people walk through my office and make faces at me making it really hard to concentrate on what the person on the other line is saying.

carrying the guest service phone after hours is, well, difficult, but not hard. it is difficult because from 5pm-9am i have to answer it and be in a reasonable location to help a guest in a reasonable amount of time. this means i rarely leave camp in the evenings all summer. it is not hard because it often doesn't ring and when it does, the problem are usually pretty manageable.

so what is on the other side of the guest service phone when it rings.....who knows. i think the top 3 needs are: 1. problems with the HVAC system, 2. locked out of chinquapin b1 or b2, and 3. toilets needing plunged. however this summer injuries/illnesses are creeping up the list of frequent calls. at least one a camp it seems.


although i do not see this part of my job as quite my niche, i am learning from it. and one thing i have learned is that if i am not struggling, i am not learning. and although much of my job could be done with my eyes shut and one hand tied behind my back, i need the parts that arent my niche to help me grow. (more on that in Romans 5.3-5)


those are my summer guest service responsibilities. more to come on the school year, well, during the school year.