Sports Camp Begins! .. and potato adventures

Last Monday was our first day of Sports Camp. Since it was held at the Perquimans County Rec Center and not Up River Friends, we had to get up pretty early in order to eat breakfast, have morning devotion, and make it to the Rec Center with time to set up. Set up includes getting the registration table up and running as well as putting up the tent in the middle of the field, and filling coolers. On a hot day we probably go through about 6 coolers of water and/or Gatorade.

Then the kids arrive! As the children arrive for sports camp, we play with them on the playground, and we get to know everyone's names and help them get to know each other.

Camp starts with a silly song and some stretches. Then group leaders are lead out and groups are called based on age. Camp is offered up through high school age, but typically the kids are elementary and middle school age. The highschoolers that come usually have a lot of fun, even though they may not want to admit it.

As I said before, Monday was football day, so each station had different drills relating to the sport. One was agility; there was a defense station, and an offense station. A devotion with the kids is also a station. That way we get to spend time with them and talk about Jesus, not just rush it at the end. Camp lasts until about 12, then parents begin coming back to pick up the kids. Sometimes on the first day the kids are ready to go, but usually they want to stay and hang out and play games with everyone some more.

After camp, and after everything had been cleaned up, the staff and the volunteers (who we call participants) leave to go eat lunch at Up River.

Most afternoons we, as a group, do at least one service project. Monday afternoon all of us loaded up into vans and headed out to pick up potatoes at a local farm. This Potato Ministry is something that was started in the area not long ago. Local farmers have decided that either they will grow potatoes especially for the cause or they will let volunteers comb their fields after they have harvested their potatoes. Either way, volunteers go out into the fields and glean potatoes, which are then donated to local charities and other ministries.

At the end of the hour we had in the fields, our participants, and the staff, had gathered 601 pounds of potatoes. How awesome is that?!

Later that night we had our second worship session with Zack as our speakers. The title of his message was "1st Ministry and 2nd Ministry." First ministry is loving God. Second ministry is loving people. What he was talking about is something that is extremely important on SOUL, and the staff had been trying to make sure that we are fullay able to take care of ourselves (with Time Alone with God and a bible study every night) so that we can pour into others. In order to successfully complete second ministry, or outreach, the relationship that we have with our Father must be constant, it must be stable. It is nearly impossible for someone to share the love of Jesus if they don't know him or if their relationship is weak. In order to love others effectively, the love of Christ must be so full in us that it flows out of us onto others.

Something that I have written in my notes that night which I think is thought provoking, "If I don't choose to act and to walk in faith, then God will do nothing. It is my job to act on faith." When I say that I am not saying that God cannot act without us. He is the creator, the destroyer, the beginning and the end. He does not need us to do anything. However, because he loves us, God has given us the chance to follow him, he won't force us to do so.

I'm going to leave you with that.

Have a wonderful day.

Morgan