Semi-Vacation

My wife and I are Young Life leaders, which means that each summer, we take a group of 40 or so students to a camp somewhere around the country.  (It means much more than that, but camp was the most recent part of our life).  While we were in college, it was much easier to take a week in the summer and go to a camp.  Now, with our schedules and bills, it gets much harder.  When you get 2 weeks of vacation a year and one is used on the kids, it starts to wear you down.  As we look forward to having our own kids, it gets very hard to consider the possibility of leading, or at least leading as we are currently. 

The camps are always fun and powerful.  Students who we have invested our time, energy and money into all year are able to hear the gospel in a powerful way.  It’s amazing what the truth of the gospel will do in the life of a teenager who is desperately searching for answers. 

The kids are running around the camp all week, playing hard in the sun.  Some even bring UV protection and rash guards because they are out in the sun so much.  It’s not until the end of the week do they realize the strategy of the camp layout, the schedule, and their leaders love to show them the love of Christ.  It’s quite amazing.  At the end of the week, you see all kinds of kids profess Lordship to Christ.  Both Preps and kids who wear punk boots are guilty of sin, and need the power of the cross to justify them.  We bring these kids to the feet of Jesus, and it’s amazing to see their responses.  Whether they say yes or no to Him, we try to love them as best we can.