The Two Camps
Last Wednesday during our prayer meeting someone mentioned that we should pray for acquaintances stuck in Beirut. We talked briefly about the horrible situation in the Middle East. A few moments later Von Hulin asked me if I had heard from the two camps. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she thought that Hezbollah and Israel would contact me. There were several milliseconds of utter bafflement.
But of course she was asking about OUR two camps – the Children who went to Camp Connect and the youth who went to Passport in New Orleans. “Oh… those two camps…”
I don’t know about you, but I have very fond memories of my church camp experiences. To be sure I can think of times of tiny-trauma and mini-drama. The former usually relates to atrocious theology and manipulative preachers (like a certain B. Smith who used to announce that if you were 99% sure of your salvation you were 100% lost – this equation when multiplied by scary stories of teens who died in their prime equaled big numbers down the aisle). The latter has most to do with the soap-opera of relationships that accompanied the 5,000 teens who were at my youth camp in Oklahoma (Falls Creek, in case you’ve heard of it). Even with the rules against “mixed bathing” (boys and girls swimming together) and shorts (for a while they were outlawed until finally they were allowed below the knee) there was still loads of early romance.
What I mostly remember, however, are those kind adults who took vacation time to cook, clean, sponsor, and basically put their life on hold for a bunch of young people. As much as I learned in Bible study or worship, it was the devotion of the counselors – people I saw week after week at church – that made the big difference. I’ll never forget the conversation I had with an older man (probably about 10 years older than I am now) who said that your spouse never looks old to you, because growing old together makes you forever young. Nor will I forget the kind conversation of the counselor who sincerely believed that God had a purpose for my life. When he told me so, I knew he meant it. And then I knew it was true.
Let’s express our gratitude to Donna and Daniel, to all their workers, who took our children and youth to camp. Learning about God is a lifelong pilgrimage, but camp can often provide great perspective for the journey.
But of course she was asking about OUR two camps – the Children who went to Camp Connect and the youth who went to Passport in New Orleans. “Oh… those two camps…”
I don’t know about you, but I have very fond memories of my church camp experiences. To be sure I can think of times of tiny-trauma and mini-drama. The former usually relates to atrocious theology and manipulative preachers (like a certain B. Smith who used to announce that if you were 99% sure of your salvation you were 100% lost – this equation when multiplied by scary stories of teens who died in their prime equaled big numbers down the aisle). The latter has most to do with the soap-opera of relationships that accompanied the 5,000 teens who were at my youth camp in Oklahoma (Falls Creek, in case you’ve heard of it). Even with the rules against “mixed bathing” (boys and girls swimming together) and shorts (for a while they were outlawed until finally they were allowed below the knee) there was still loads of early romance.
What I mostly remember, however, are those kind adults who took vacation time to cook, clean, sponsor, and basically put their life on hold for a bunch of young people. As much as I learned in Bible study or worship, it was the devotion of the counselors – people I saw week after week at church – that made the big difference. I’ll never forget the conversation I had with an older man (probably about 10 years older than I am now) who said that your spouse never looks old to you, because growing old together makes you forever young. Nor will I forget the kind conversation of the counselor who sincerely believed that God had a purpose for my life. When he told me so, I knew he meant it. And then I knew it was true.
Let’s express our gratitude to Donna and Daniel, to all their workers, who took our children and youth to camp. Learning about God is a lifelong pilgrimage, but camp can often provide great perspective for the journey.
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