Day 100 – Youth Camp

Today was our last day of Youth Camp…  Overall, this trip was an absolute blast!  Though I don’t really relate very well with the middle school kids (they’re just too young), I have found that I am able to really connect with the high school students.  That said, as the “Dean of the Boys Cabin” I spent most of my week yelling at middle school kids (telling them to clean their rooms, take showers, and use deoderant) and laughing with the high school guys about pretty much everything.

I am so proud of Bonnie!  She was a room leader for a group of high school girls and I truly believe she made a huge positive impact on both their spiritual life and their perspective of self-worth.  She is amazing.

In addition to our duties, we were also fortunate enough to participate in all of the activities with the students:  Paintball, Adventure Racing, Ziplines, Rope Courses, jumping on the Blog (gigantic air bag that one person sits on while another jumps off a huge tower and lands on, thus launching the other person into the air and eventually into the lake), white water rafting, a trip to the wave pool, and a near death experience while lighting off some professional fireworks with a couple of the other camp leaders :)

Though it was trying at times, it really was a huge blessing to spend the week serving these young people.  More than ever, I see how desperately the youth of our communities need role models.  Absent fathers, too much TV, and not enough discipline is creating a mess of our future.  :(