Sports Camp - Yadkin County

The staff arrived at Forbush Friends on Saturday the 13th. That left us about half a week to get ready for our  shorter camp taking place in Yadkin County. The SOUL week in Yadkin was really more of a weekend. The participants arrived on Thursday, which is earlier than normal. On Friday we did all of our get-to-know-you and group building games. Then we spent the afternoon going over stations for the Sports Rally on Saturday.

Because the weekend was shorter than our normal weeks, instead of a camp that was four days long, we had a one day Sports Rally that Saturday. That meant that on Friday we prepped for a the whole afternoon, to get ready for Saturday
, from  9am to 3pm. That's a long day to be out in the sun running around. But we did it.

Saturday morning came and everyone got up bright and early to head out to the community park and set up. We got to the park about 8:00, registration starting at 8:30. It being out first year at this location, we weren't expecting too many kids to come out. But total we had almost 30 come for camp. Not including the participants running the stations.

The group of participants that we had at Forbush was very different than the group that we had at Up River. Mostly because our Up River group was a group of high school-ers and the group we had at Forbush was middle schoolers. I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that we were a little worried that the participants wouldn't be able to handle leading the stations if we had any older kids come to camp. But, in the end that wasn't a problem. All of our campers were, for the most part, younger than our participants. As you can see, some of the pictures are of kids painting sun catchers. That, ironically enough, is because a large storm came looming over us about lunch time. Once the lightning started, it was time to pull out the rainy day supplies and do other activities.

At the end of the day we all headed back to Forbush to shower and re-energize before our amazing speaker came back that night. Nick Poindexter was our speaker on Friday night as well as Saturday night. I don't want to give away too much of our theme (just wait, since next week is our last week I can let you in on absolutely everything). BUT! Nick did an amazing job of connecting the words to the middle schoolers. Since I was sitting in the back I got to see how into it they were, reacting to his stories, reflecting on themselves. It was amazing. He even pulled from 2 Kings (which is in the Old Testament) and connected it to Jesus and the rest of our theme. I love when people make it clear how the whole Bible is one long story.

The End of Our First Camp

I guess come of you probably want to know more about our Sports Camp in Hertford. Well, see, the thing is, I was assigned to be a 7/8-year-old group leader. Which I absolutely loved. Those kids stole my heart. It was so hard to leave at the end of camp. Anyway, because I was a group leader, I kind-of stopped taking pictures...  I know, I know. It wouldn't have been that hard to take pictures and make sure that the kids were behaving. But I got carried away. Luckily on the first day I got someone to record this gem of a video:

Tell me those kids aren't adorable. Can you see how I got caught up in hanging out and loving on them? So, I'm sorry there aren't any more pictures of camp, but we have two more camps, so I guess you'll just have to wait.

Other than camp, our week was filled with more service projects. We mulched around the church at Up River. We put together homeless kits. One of our other projects fell through because of bad weather, but the week was full of fun and service.

This group of participants was so full of love for each other, for the communities that we were impacting, and most importantly, for God, it was amazing. I sincerely believe that hearts were touched that week. I hope that the changes that took place were permanent, and that people see how much of an impact they can have, if they just get out there.

**I'm not in this picture either Mom, sorry. This one happened before we were really set up for pictures.

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