FUGE Camp

These are some of the girls that I have the privilege of working with this summer. Aren't they beautiful, even at camp?
This is me with the youth pastor, Jody. We found ourselves busier and more tired this week than we have been in a long time (even after VBS).
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Romans 10:15
Three girls from church and I were all on the Fifth Avenue team. This means that we, along with about 15 people from different churches, had Bible study and ministered together all week. We went to a nursing home, a children's home, a farm, a GA camp, and a park. The last night of camp, we competed against other teams in MEGA, a huge relay. For this event, everyone dresses in their team colors and paints there faces in a effort to win "THE SPIRIT CUP"! You wouldn't want to mess with us!
This little girl asked to paint my face while we were at the Berea House, a home that ministers to children in a low-income community. While at the home, we were able to share Bible stories with these kids as well as the unconditional love of Christ.
This is our group with the camp pastor, Jon Gillis. Jon has written two books:
The Dawn of Resolution and Substitute Christianity. He is an amazing, in-your-face speaker.

So, as you can see from the pictures, this week was filled with so many different activities. Each one of them was a chance to glorify God in some way; even sitting still in the midst of camp madness became a form of worship. I truly learned the meaning of 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory."

For the sake of space and time, I want to highlight three things that I am praising God for this week:

1. A deep concern over the definition of Christian.
In Jon's book, Substitute Christianity, he discusses this issue. How do you know that you are a Christian? Is it because you asked Jesus into your heart or prayed a prayer? Neither one of those terms or practices are found in scripture. God calls us to confess, repent, and believe. BUT He also calls us to die to self and to live for Him. This is not a single transaction that happens at an altar one day, it is a lifestyle. What is the purpose of Christianity? Did Christ die to save us from HELL? Well, yes and no. He died to save us from sin and sin is what causes us to go to hell. We get so caught up in hell that we forget that sin is the problem and that sin happens now, not later. It ruins our life now, and it can ruin our life later as well. Now, I still have not figured out the whole thing. I am seeking God and His word (they are one in the same, right?) for the answers. For now, I know that I am a Christian because I have trusted Him to save me from my sins, and I have not only called Him Lord but I am attempting to make Him Lord of my life (key word=attempting). Jon says, to remember, if you are not living with Jesus now, you will not live with Him for forever, and if you are living with Him now, you will continue to live with Him for forever, and forever.

2. People worshiping in so many different ways.
This week I saw people jump to worship. I saw them dance. I saw them sing, and it made me worship that much more. On Thursday night, our group had a confession session after Jon preached a message on facades. Many in our group, including myself, admitted to holding up a false appearance. Students cried and as the tears ran, the inner parts of their hearts were opened up for all of us to see. One student even asked Jesus to save him, expressing the desire to be baptized and read scripture with some of the group (you don't meet middle schoolers everyday who want to read scripture). In those moments we grew so much closer together. For many, the greatest blessings of the week, came on Thursday. However, for me the blessings came the next night during worship. I turned to my right to see many of the kids raising their hands to the their MAKER, the one who allows and invites them to be HONEST and drop all the false appearances. Some were crying, others were belting out the song, some were even jumping up and down. I could see their hearts and for many I knew their reason for worship. THAT was the greatest blessing of the week for me.

3. God using me when I didn't expect it. He used me outside my comfort zone (SURPRISE).
This week I was not sure which ministry track to choose--social, children's, games and rec, creative, or construction. Well, I canceled off creative really quickly for obvious reasons but all of the others were still an option. I liked a little bit of each one. I felt pulled toward social, but I did not want to sign up for it because one of the possible ministry sights was a nursing home. My grandmother lives at the nursing home and I don't even enjoy seeing her there (isn't that sad?); I even call it the funeral home on accident sometimes. However, in the end that is where I ended up, and you know what my favorite ministry of the week was? You guessed it, the nursing home. I got to play Bingo with Ms. Virginia White. She shared with me so much about her life. She "crosses and uncrosses her legs" for fun, and plays too many jokes to have any friends. She used to be hair dresser and has skied behind a cow! She was so funny! I and so many others have missed out on blessings because we have ignored the older generation.

As you can see, I had an amazing week at camp. God worked through the youth, and the fire is evident on their faces. Pray that the fire will continue. It will only do so if the leaders and the youth commit themselves to prayer and the reading of God's word. Pray for me, that I will get back into my quiet time after the week at camp, which completely jumbled my schedule, including my sleep. Also, pray that we will continue to minister here in Rothwell as we did in Greenville. The students have expressed the desire to visit nursing homes and children's homes, so Jody and I along with the kids will work this week to plan those activities. Pray for opportunities and for creativity in planning and executing these ministries.