Ahhh, church camp...the pinnacle of teenage summer spirituality! (And a possible love connection.)
I'm about to head off to Nebraska Youth Camp for two weeks.
Anybody who has gone to NYC will attest that it is NOT the most beautiful place on earth! Old, dusty cabins with no air conditioning. A nasty pond with fluorescent green gunk floating in it. Sand, sand and more sand. Close location to the interstate (which makes for interesting campfire background sounds!) A kitchen that even the rat from Ratatouille would not touch.
And yet...to a couple hundred young people...it IS the most beautiful place on earth.
Some of them are from tiny churches where there are NO other teens to hang out with.
Some come from broken homes.
Some come from homes that aren't really involved in a church.
Camp is the place they can let loose and really worship. It is the place they don't have to be afraid of being themselves. They see God in nature every day and night, with little to no technological interruptions.
Growing up, Camp Blue Haven was that to me. What awesome memories. The beautiful mountains. Perfect weather (we actually enjoyed wearing jeans to camp!) The hikes. Getting up courage to ask a girl to the banquet towards the end of the week. Singing class. Bible class and art.
What are your favorite camp memories? How did it help shape your faith?
1 comment:
Wow, this does stir up some memories for me. Camp introduced me to the fact that God was just as much for young people as he was for old people. =) And that's stuck with me...I know teens and even little children can actually GET IT. We should never look down on them cause they're young. Many times they're the ones setting the example!
Have a great time at camp and may the Lord set ablaze many ready people.
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