We Won – Summer Camp Highlight

WE WON.  I’m jumping around, exhausted and thrilled.  Kids from our youth group, hugging each other, celebrating, laughing – all drenched in joyful smiles.   The music is blaring and we rush to the stage to receive our reward and trophy.   Every one of our 38 students and 6 cabin leaders pressed together in a mob in front of the whole audience of 250 campers –  completely free and enjoying the moment.   

This was the last night of our 4 day summer youth camp in Southwestern washington.   We had just spent 3 hours worshiping, receiving prayer, seeing kids get huge breakthroughs, receiving Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  It was the culmination of months of work, tons of behind the scenes planning, a hugely successful fundraiser (dessert auction),  9 hours of driving, 3 days of games and activities, emotional meltdowns, relational battles – etc.     

And we came to the last moments of camp, as they shared the scores for the week-long-all-camp-competition, it was tallied and announced that the funky/unique crew from Medford had beat all the other youth groups!

I know what you are thinking, “shouldn’t he be more focused on the spiritual breakthroughs that took place than a silly competition?”  

You may even say, “those hyper competitive alpha types ruin everything…”  ha ha

I may be competitive but take a moment to see something deeper.  

I grew up going to summer camps every year.   Those experiences formed so much of my early life with Jesus and I got to discover what it is like to be connected in community/friendship within the Church (big C).   I found that vulnerability and open-hearted living was the most free place to be as a teenager and my friends joined me in this journey as well. 

I remember the nights of worship in the hot chapel building, the crazy group activities where we linked arms for the goal, the games that should have be approved by insurance first (electric wire fence challenge), the grass on the hillside overlooking the Columbia River at Camp Crestview, the smell of the cafeteria and so many other moments and places.   

Memories are funny like that,  if linked to a strong emotion or smell, they are seared into our brains for all time.  

So after of long school year working to rebuild relationships and connections with our students, I heard our name called as the winners of the silly camp competition and I saw those kids looking at each other with joy and laughter — I knew that all the previous moments of camp wouldn’t be lost to the cobwebs of their personal biography but instead sealed in their hearts and minds.   

Our prayer is that they will look back during this coming school year, when the pressures are rising, circumstances working to askew their faith or connection to Jesus, when isolation or depression rears its ugly head and remember this camp week. 

They will remember they have true friends – they are connected to great parents and leaders  – and they are not alone.   

Thank you everyone who helped make this week possible.  IT WAS WORTH IT.