July 15, 2010
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Camp Reflections
Camp was awesome...
I knew this week at camp was going to be good. Less than a month ago, we had several youth recommit during a youth evangelism conference, so the Spirit was already moving in the students. I needed a little isolation myself because the path set before me had grown a bit hazy. Any week away from life's normal distractions is good.
I'm not sure I can go day by day as far as reflections go. My memory isn't that great, and I'm more of a landmark driver anyway, so I'll just go with the "landmarks" that stuck out to me...
Camp Minutia:
The housing was decent. The shower heads were clogged with calcium/lime build up, but the pressure was fine. The bunks were pretty typical camp bunks, but I didn't have any trouble falling asleep every night (once everyone got quiet). The facilities were great. The waterfront stuff on the lake was pretty cool, and I was happy we got to use it this year. [It had rained a bunch when we came last time, so all of it was shut down.] All in all, the campers weren't hurting for things to do in their off time. The food was great. The speaker was great. The band was sub-par. I texted Brandon on Tuesday that his band was easily better than the one playing. The vocals weren't strong, they didn't have a great stage presence, and whoever was running sound did not help them out. Don't get me wrong, the kids and I worshiped, but I had to make a conscious effort to get past my distraction.
My physical condition:
I've come to realize that my youth guys notice my body. Often times before a meal, I'll eat something, and DJ will say, "Chris, don't ruin your 6-pack." Sunday night before going to bed, I took my shirt off, and one of the guys said, "Hey Chris, it looks like you're losing it a little bit." I couldn't help but laugh. I was thinking, "Wow, thanks guys." The second day, we head off to the lake, and one of the guys called me a "snowflake." Just last week while I was in Georgia, one of Kaylin's friends said I was "glowing" while I played tennis with my shirt off. It appears that I am pale
Seems like every big trip, Elijah wants to go running. I'm usually up for it, and this event was no different. I got up at 6:15 in the morning, woke people up that wanted to go, and we went running for about 15 minutes or so. It was good to do that because I've really fallen off in my workout routine. I worked out this morning, and upon weighing myself, the scale was about 8 pounds heavier than usual. Really, it's just a matter of will power. If I can wake up at 6:15 and run during an exhausting week at camp, I think I can work out in the morning during a normal week. The funny thing about running at camp was the amount of kids I saw running each morning. On Monday, I was surprised to see probably 40 kids out at the same time Elijah and I were. On Tuesday, that dropped to about 20 or so. By Wednesday, Elijah didn't want to go, and I was one of about 4 or 5 people out running. It's just a matter of will, though accountability helps tremendously.
Watching the youth:
Through the week, I tried my best to let the other volunteers handle things as much as possible, so I could just observe. Some of the kids I knew better than others. Some were really being pushed and responding. Others seemed to be avoiding God's voice. Some were convicted; some seemed like they were hardening a little bit.
One scenario that I will always remember is Rachel overcoming her anxiety about the power pole. I told our female sponsor that I wanted Rachel to do the power pole with me knowing that she would be challenged. Spiritually, Rachel is one of our strongest girls, and I really felt like this was an opportunity for her to be pushed. Lauren talked it over with Rachel, Rachel talked to her peers about it, and she ended up making the decision to sign up the next day. Rachel and I didn't talk much in the hours and moments leading up to us climbing. She seemed a little nervous watching the groups ahead of us go. It didn't help that when we walked up, there was a girl crying at the top because she didn't want to jump off.
When it was our turn to climb, I went first. I'm not the biggest fan of heights, and standing at the top is the worst part for me, but I made it fine and waited for Rachel. She started climbing and was steady the whole way up. She finally climbed up on the box with me and turned around. Her fear wasn't the climbing but the jumping, and I walked her through a little of what was going to happen. 3...2...1... Jump. We jumped; she screamed a little, and we were slowly lowered to the ground. She was beaming when she got unbuckled, and I couldn't have been more proud. I'm tearing up just typing this. She had the biggest grin on her face as she said, "I did it!" The other girls came and gave her a hug as they were just as elated as she was. ... Definitely a highlight. So good.
Wednesday night was another moment I'll never forget. I told the youth at the beginning of camp that on the last day, I was going to give them an opportunity to meet together without the adults to share with each other how God had spoken to them through the week. That afternoon, I wrote a list of rules to follow and things I wanted them to discuss during that conversation. So, after worship let out, we met at our normal spot. I told them what I expected, handed Rachel the rules and procedures sheet, handed Katy my notepad to take notes, and I left with the other leaders. Our conversation as leaders was great. We all shared what we would take away from this camp, and our thoughts for the future.
The main attraction, though, was the youth. Every few minutes or so, Lauren would just look over to the youth group, which was about 100 feet away. We were all just curious as to what was being discussed and what would happen. Our meeting as leaders ended, and I stayed around to keep an eye on the group. Those kids met for close to 90 minutes, and after they were done, all 14 of them walked over to me. They thanked me for taking them to camp. They thanked me for sacrificing. They told me how much they appreciate the time I'd spent with them. I was blown away.
They told me the conversation wasn't awkward. They shared a little bit about what they talked about, and Katy handed me my notepad back. They told me they wanted to have more of those conversations. ... I was just so impressed and so proud.
The weight of leaving:
Having a great week at camp with the youth has just made the reality that I will not be their youth minister anymore that much more difficult. It feels like our stronger members are really starting to mature and hit their stride. Our younger members are being encouraged and challenged. It just seems like things are primed for growth...and I'm leaving. One of the guys said to me, "I just can't believe you're leaving. I can't see anyone else leading this group." What do you say to that? I've not prayed to hear God's Will on moving ever since I decided because I'm confident that I'm doing the right thing, but I think I will pray for affirmation that this choice is right. It's just...hard.
I'm leaving in 4 weeks. I'll be working at V.B.S. for one of those weeks. I'll be vacationing in Galveston for one those weeks. Ugh... I'll be out of here before I know it.
I need to write some letters.
I need to figure out what I'm moving/how I'm moving.
I need to have some Youth Committee meetings to schedule.
I need to get my V.B.S. stuff together.
I need to do my quiet time.
I need to eat lunch.Fin.
Peace.
