Which Day is it?

Which Day of Camp is it?

I think it is hard to put into words exactly what takes place when our students are together. If you have experienced the camaraderie of a team, or the closeness of a group of people who share a common experience, you understand. If you are not there, you cannot always put into words to explain what the others have seen. They will share stories that will be retold a hundred times, and laugh every time. If you were not there, you miss the punch line. They will act out scenarios that involve tripping over a rock in front of that cute guy from another church. Or what took place on that recreation field in front of the whole camp. Shared experiences are the gold mine of memories. How can you tell the story of what takes place at our church group time. It is hard to feel what Harrison Bowles felt like when the youth group surrounded him to embrace him and pray for him and welcome him into their family of faith. (Harrison is going to be baptized this Sunday at 9:30). Harrison felt the hands of the group that stood to hug him, and pray over him, as he takes his first steps of obedience. As well, Harrison needed to know that there are no school colors flown at church, we are all a part of HIS family. It does not matter if your school is not the majority. Harrison does not stand alone.
Your student will come back tomorrow with stories, inside jokes, and experiences. They should, that is what camp is all about. Everyone is excited to share their experience with family, and friends. Yet, a few fear coming home. Coming home to old habits, old memories they would like to forget, and friends that will not care about their camp experience, or what God did in their lives. So parents you must help them to remember their commitments they made. You must remind them that the God they experienced daily on the mountain top waits to speak to them each day. You must remind them of their new friends in the faith, and the family of faith that will miss them if they sleep in on Sunday. You must remind them of who God is, and what he did, and what they experienced. Camp is used as a reminder of a God who wants to have daily shared experience with us.

Jeff