It’s that time of year again…time for summer camp! Okay, well in a month it will be but I’m already excited. Last year Sadddleback Church’s high school ministry camp was amazing. My group had some pretty significant breakthroughs, and all of them came back with a closer relationship to God. I came home physically and mentally exhausted but it was probably one of the best weeks of my life.
Camp is a month away so I’ve already begun doing some things. First off, I’m praying a lot about camp. Praying that students who might not have accepted Christ into their lives will make the decision at camp to do so. I’m praying that those who have not been baptized will make the decision to take the plunge, literally. I’m praying that those students who are coming to camp with a lot on their mind, and some hurts, habits and hang ups will find a week of fun and a time to talk about their problems and start the healing process. I’m praying that God will use me at camp this year in ways that I can’t even imagine yet. I’m also talking to students who haven’t decided yet about going to camp and encouraging them to go.
Last year when I got home from camp I remember sitting down in my living room and reflecting on the past week. I was amazed at how God had worked in so many students and felt fortunate that I was able to be a part of that. And then it dawned on me, God had changed me in that week too! He made me appreciate the conversations I had with students that I didn’t know that well, but they knew me. God also placed some hurting students in front of me and I was able to talk with and pray with a lot of students. I don’t care how big your church is, they don’t have enough staff to effectively deal with all the students at camp, volunteers are a huge asset to any student ministry.
If you’re a student ministry volunteer but you haven’t yet volunteered to be a camp leader, I have some advice. DO IT! God will use you to make a difference in a student’s life if you do. Whatever church you volunteer for is probably having trouble finding enough volunteers SO GO FOR IT!
