What a whirlwind of a week!

Sunday afternoon the campers began to arrive and that evening marked our first large group session with the students where we introduced the theme of our week, Navigate: Guided by God. Each day we explored a different “Ship” in our life, Sunday evening we discussed how we were Shipwrecked, when sin entered the world. 

The theme on Monday was Workmanship, based on Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” We had a lot of fun and a lot of deep discussion about how we are created with both value and purpose given to us by our Creator!

Tuesday, we dove into possibly the most difficult yet important topics of our week, Relationships. We started by introducing the 8 kinds of love in the Greek language which helped to give us some framework for our small group discussions. During our first small group we discussed friendship and Influence and how Jesus showed us the qualities that make a good friend. Our second small group brought up the topic of romantic relationships, something that is highly relevant during teenage years. We discussed the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships and between love and lust using scripture to guide us. Overall, we had a great day full of deep discussion! 

Wednesday, our topic was Stewardship, which helped us understand how we can use the gifts God has given us to serve God and others. We had a change of plans due to inclement weather and ended up playing a live action game of Clue instead of our planned outdoor activities. Our actors did an amazing job bringing their characters to life! We followed up with a great Q&A session led by Pastor David and Scott Yount, who did a great job answering some silly and some really difficult questions that were anonymously submitted by the campers. Thankfully by that evening the weather had passed and we gathered around a campfire to roast sausages, sing to the Lord, and hear testimonies from various campers. It was amazing to hear stories of how the Lord has worked powerfully in so many of the kids’ lives, and even some of the ways he has worked through this camp over the years to lead kids to faith in Christ. It was a beautiful reminder that the Lord really does use our time together in ways far beyond what we ask or imagine. 

Thursday, we discussed Discipleship, “Following the Captain.” We introduced the theme during our first large group session and discussed it during our small groups before leaving for our chosen excursions for the day. Everyone had a great time of fun and fellowship during their excursions. After dinner it was time for our movie night. This year’s movie was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Friday marked our last morning together with the campers. We discussed the movie and how it tied back to everything we had been learning throughout the week, and then it was time to discuss Citizenship as shown in Eph. 2:19, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”That is truly what these trips are about— showing the teens that they are not alone, and being a witness as part of the global family of Christ! The week went by so quickly, but it was packed full of deep conversation, heartfelt worship, and so much fun! 

We are so grateful for all your support— sending us with your financial support and going with us in prayer. These trips truly could not happen without you! Some of our team members are still raising support to cover this trip’s expenses, so it’s never too late to join us in this mission to connect spiritual orphans to the global family of Christ! Just follow this link to give.