a serving full of purpose (part 1)

Camp 2008 is over...but man, what a great week!
Camp started on Tuesday and ended yesterday (Saturday) morning. The week was intense.
I gathered my group of 28 to make the two hour drive to Hawkins, Texas on Tuesday morning. We stopped at Sonic which really was a bad start considering the bathroom facilities at the campground.
We pulled onto the campground at 1pm and the 10 months of planning officially kicked off.
Being a camper, i always hated the first and last day of camp. The first day usually consisted of administration, rules and getting yourself acclimated...and the last day was always packing up, cleaning up, eating breakfast and then of course, the dreaded all-camp picture.
Being on other side of the spectrum, the camp leadership side, the first and last day of camp weren't so bad. Our check-in and check-out process' went smooth. The rules weren't so bad (in my opinion). There wasn't much trash to pick up and we had our stuff packed up quick! It was great. We had a great team of leadership in order, so it made it all go so smooth.

Being on the directing team for camp made it so much more intense. We were literally up from 6am until 1am. Everyday!
The days started off with a counselor/leadership prayer time. And what a way to begin each day! Waking up at 5:40am to get to a 6am prayer time after 4 hours of sleep does something to you. And plus, you have to fully rely on the grace of God to not rip out every campers right-lung when you are that tired.
This year, my arena was games and teams. I sit on a team of 5 that really don't have much creativity on the game aspect, so it fell into my hands. Not that i have any problem with this. I like games. Plus, i have an excuse to not play the nasty games because i was in charge of points and that would make it unfair.
Regardless, the games were a success. How do i know, you ask? Well, we had at least 3 visits to the nurse (some we're just the hypochondriacs, of course) during every game! They were tired, beat up and on the last night cheered because we didn't have a night game. Most might be offended at this. Not me. One, i don't get offended too easily, and two...i didn't want to play a game either. Everyone was exhausted. It was the last night of camp!
I used some of the time during the night rallies and morning seminars to prepare the game for the day. This put me in the back of the room during most of the sessions. And i have to say that this is the place i wouldn't have given up for anything.
I was able to watch each and every one of my students engaging in worship. Engaging with the words of the speaker. Engaging with the Creator.
I sat back and watched. Watched them raise their hands. Sing. Smile. Hug. Cry. Laugh. Talk. Sleep :). I sat in the back with tears in my eyes as i saw students experience God for the first time in months! I had conversations that i thought would never happen. I watched as 7 of my students from Collin Creek walked out of the back of the room to accept a call into some kind of full time ministry. I watched students give their life to Christ for the first time. I saw them fall to their knee's and say "i am no where close to where i need to be, but i want to be there. And i will work with everything in me and with the help of God i will get there." I felt a change in me to better myself for this amazing group that God has blessed me with.
How many of those are real and not just emotion? I don't know. How many of those will actually follow through with that? i don't know. But if one out of the hundreds of commitments made changes someone's world...than the months of planning, the lack of sleep, the time away from family...was all worth it. A purpose will have been served.

Camp is a mountaintop experience. It's so easy to raise your hands when everyone else is. It's so easy to say i believe, when you know you're being backed up. It's so easy to say this is going to be changed when they have access to nothing but trees, water and 150 other Christian teenagers. But when these students drop themselves back into the grind of friends, family, school, work...LIFE. When it comes down to actually following through with these camp commitments in their personal world...i pray they stand firm in the truth they know in their hearts.

This camp took so much out of me. I have never felt this kind of exhaustion. I have never felt this kind of physical ache. I am 300% beat. But i can say that beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it came down to it...i would do it again tomorrow for any of those students.
The Spirit was there. Barriers were broken. Lives were changed. And God was glorified. The planning process for Camp 2009 has already started. And i can't wait. But until then, i have my work cut out for me.
I don't want Camp 2008 to stay at Brookhaven Retreat Center. I want it to be fleshed out in everything we do.

This is all i have for now...i'll be back for more later.