Getting Ready for Wednesday!

Like I said yesterday, today is a big day around camp. There's been some pretty big exploring going on from the Altitude Group and the Jr. High Core Group WILL be sleeping in tents tonight! Having lived up in the mountains of North Carolina myself for awhile, it definitely feels a lot cooler in the evenings, but it can still be pretty warm. Hopefully the kids and counselors will experience enough of a break in the evening to enjoy sleeping outside with the sounds of the frogs and bugs around them.

My background in camping ministry started with Girl Scout camp in platform tents. As I got older and became a counselor I completely appreciated the sounds of nature around me. I used to roll all the sides up to my tent stretch out under my mosquito net and just listen to the frogs all night. What a great way to spend the night. I hope the kids will find some enjoyment in God's creation tonight too.

Tomorrow night will be the big night in the worship life of the church. In past years, the model for evening worship is to build up to a big night on Thursday night. All the lessons, all the worship, all the devotions and teachings lead to giving the kids the opportunity to make any kind of life changing decisions they may want to make. It's also a time for reflecting on their week at camp. Some kids may not be ready to make any big decisions, and that's okay. But it's just an opportunity to reflect, pray with their counselors and Senior staff if they want. The kids would then be sent home the next day hopefully to be followed up with by their Pastor or Youth Pastor from their home church.

Now, the culminating event takes place on Wednesday. This is strategically done this way so the kids can have this experience and then celebrate it during the remaining days with their friends and counselors. It gives them a chance to process their evening and their worship experience. Instead of going home after a meaningful night and then thinking through their week and how God has been working in their lives before, during, and after camp, they now get to begin working through that a little bit before hand. Hopefully give them the tools to talk to you about it one the way home, or their Youth Director if they wanted to.

I always loved this night, because I found it interesting to watch the kids' faces. Some really felt God moving in their hearts. Others looked very shy, but curious. Some just wanted the worship time to be over. However, even those who were antsy to get back to their cabins were still interested in what was going on around them. And most of them were full of questions when they got back to their cabins. And their questions were not silly, but very thoughtful and engaging.

If you have a moment, shoot your camper a quick email tomorrow. Tell them about a worship experience that has been meaningful for you. Or perhaps you have seen God moving in their life in a certain way that you've always wanted to share with them, but didn't know how or felt like you couldn't. Don't hesitate to verbalize with your child what having a relationship with God can mean for them and what it's meant for you. Maybe it will help them be a little more thoughtful during their worship and/or reflection times. Kids find it pretty awesome when mom and dad or grandparents share something that is meaningful and special to them like that. You might be surprised what kind of conversations will open up for you!