Thursday, July 02, 2015

Thursday Afternoon...final "At Camp" Post

More Random Thoughts/Observations

Last night after ending chapel, Hume/SD put on a brand new optional activity. "Worship Under The Stars" and it was in two different locations, separated for guys in one area, and girls in another. What a blessing for everyone that went! In each group, as a part of the time together, the leaders/counselors were encouraged to pray out loud for their small groups of kids that they are with this week. And then, the students were asked to pray out loud for their leaders! I've heard so much positive feedback from this experience! Leaders and students alike each saying what an impact it was to hear the out loud prayers of the ones that were praying for them. I think the extra layer of students realizing just how often they are prayed for might have finally went to a new level of appreciation as they were able to participate in both the giving and receiving of out loud prayers!

Something that was not a first, and has become a Horizons tradition at camp, was the Wednesday Late Night Burrito Run. I was able to actually find a killer taco shop (Roberto's of course) pretty close to campus, and $325 later, both dorms were filled with the smells of San Diego Mexican Food...Carne Asada Burrito's, Cheese Quesadillas, and Rolled Tacos w/ Guac....(I'm not even gonna type the obvious follow up sentence to the one I just typed....hahaha)

Another non-first was the annual "Boardwalk Walk" that we do as an optional activity every year for them...I'm sure you've seen some pics of the trip on Facebook, there's plenty of them! They took that walk today and had a blast...

Our chapel time this morning consisted of being led in worship singing by For All Seasons (kids have REALLY taken to them!) and then we took an offering for many ministries around the world. Pretty stoked to say that the offering raised $2000.58! What a blessing! Following the offering, we were dismissed to "Church Time" where I was able to give the lesson/challenge/message/sermon today...and we focused mainly on the entire chapter of Ephesians 4. We talked about what an incredible youth ministry we could be if we followed the challenge that Paul gave to the church in Ephesus. I want to challenge YOU, yes, YOU, the one reading this, to click on the link I provided, to read Ephesians 4 and see if YOU might also answer the call to help bring about the type of unity and work of God that Paul challenges that church with in your church!

After a dinner on the lawn, we (Liz, Caleb and I) were asked to once again participate in the 4th of July parade that is unique to this week of Summer Camp. We decorated the golf cart we use (to  help Caleb get around) with plenty of red, white and blue, and had a blast with the Hume/SD staff giving the entire camp a USA Pride-filled parade :)

We are heading off in moments for our final chapel...in what will be the final message the students hear this camp. I'm praying for God to break through any final barriers that students may have, as we look to finish the week of camp on a super high note. 

Tomorrow morning, we'll check out by 7:30, have breakfast, and then do our traditional "awards" before getting on the bus and heading to Mission Beach for a few kids to get Baptized! Then we'll head home and hopefully have a non-eventful trip, arriving back to Horizons at approx 5:30

God Rulz!

TN


Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Hume/SD 2015 Wednesday Morning

Random thoughts/observations

RAIN/LIGHTING/THUNDER!

Looks like we brought some Monsoon with us to SD! Some of the free time activities had to be shuffled around, canceled, postponed due to the weather yesterday, but the students' attitudes were/are amazing...really just going w/ the flow :)

IT'S GETTING DEEP!

Our counselors are telling me of many real conversations that are going on. Transparence is becoming a frequent thing. Students are opening up about issues great and small. This camp has a "real feel" as opposed to what is often times just "feelings that are real"..big difference!

We continue to look at the life of Peter, and this morning focused on the fact that our walk is not about "Mountain Top Experiences" We looked at the transfiguration in Matthew, and how immediately Peter wants to get to work to sustain the moment, but God interrupts him to say, "This is my son, LISTEN TO HIM!" (here's an old Acapella song that was always one of my favorites that tells the story)

PICTURE PROOF:

With a group this size (about 55 total) we are dispersed among 20 overall teams for Recreation. Some of our kids are at or near first place in the team standings, while others are closer to the "anchor" end of teams scores...but they are all having a blast! I'm not seeing any of our students just sitting around doing nothing..There are tons of pictures being posted by our staff leaders, so make sure to follow them on Facebook, or Instagram for you tech-savvy peeps. If you see my Facebook feed, most of them are including me in there posts. You'll see not only REC pics, but also trips to the yogurt shop, beach, hanging out, and more...a great way to see the life and times of camp week :)

RIDE THE WAVE!

I challenged our leaders this morning (and you can be praying for them) to "ride the wave" for the next couple of days. This is the point where students have kind of figured out the daily routine of camp life...and all the conversations and getting to know each other have led to openings for them to go even deeper w/ their small group of campers. It is also the point of the week where our leaders are kind of "emptied out" of their own strength, stamina, and maybe patience, lol..and so they get to rely more and more on the peace, strength, wisdom, and sustaining work of the Holy Spirit...Pray for them to "stay in the sweet spot" as they "ride the wave" of God's plan at work!

That's it for today!

God Rulz,

TN