A Different Kind of Summer, Part I

The Upside of Down

What happens when a group of like-minded people get together and work towards a common goal? What happens when they spend a week together serving, connecting, and growing in their relationship with Him? What happens when the spiritual forces of good and evil tangibly clash?

That (and more) is what I’d like to share in part one of my summer series. I was at camp these past two weeks, and I’d like to tell you what happened.

Week #1: Staff Training

Before the campers came, we as Staff had to get everything ready. This included cleaning, doing maintenance work, setting up skills and activities, etc. As a Lifeguard, I helped out with setup on the waterfront. This year we got a gigantic inflatable obstacle course for the campers to play on. For the most part, things went smoothly, but there were some hiccups.

We also spent a lot of time together as Staff. There are just over 40 of us, and it was great to grow closer to each other through hanging out, meals, cleaning, and chapel. Without the Staff, there’s no way camp could touch kids’ hearts like it does.

On top of that, my time in prayer and the Word was phenomenal. I grew a lot through my devo time. When I’m at home I’m constantly thinking of the other things I have on my to-do list. Not so at camp. I was able to get up early, see beautiful sunrises, and connect with Him in a new way.

Here are a few of the many things that stood out:

• Time with Jesus. If there’s just one thing I can get across to you, it’s the importance of spending time with Him. Nothing is possible on our own. I made it a habit to pray for each of the Staff by name during our training week, and I’m sure others did the same. It makes a difference. Pray for others, and get them to pray for you. The day before I left for camp, I sent a list of requests out to several members of my extended family, asking them to pray for me. Prayer is powerful.
  
  Spending time with Jesus is the greatest way to ensure your will is aligned with His. It recharges you like nothing else does. As a fellow Staff member told me, you can tell when you haven’t connected with Him. It changes how you act, your mindset, and your attitude. Invest in time with Jesus. It’s never a waste.

• Teamwork. Last month I published this post on the topic, and it wasn’t without reason. Camp only works when everyone works together. Camp – and life – isn’t about what you can do by yourself, but rather how you can work together to impact others. Don’t ever let someone tell you teamwork doesn’t work. It’s both enriching and vital.
  
• Unity & Friendship. At camp everyone has the same goal. As a result, we grew closer to each other. When we surround ourselves with like-minded people, we set ourselves up for success. I saw this at camp. All of us were unified in our mission: glorify and serve Jesus. From there, we set out to do that to the best of our abilities.

My week at Staff training reminded me of the Disciples in the early days of the church, when they all lived under the same roof and shared everything. It’s crazy how much can be done when Jesus is put at the center and everyone is unified.

Please don’t hear me saying we did this on our own; everything we accomplished only happened because of the time that was first spent in prayer. That fueled us throughout the rest of our day. Everything we did at camp was because of Him.

Week #2: Lifeguarding at High School Camp

At our camp, we run two High School camps, followed by three Middle School camps. I got to Lifeguard at the first High School camp, and I left today as a camper for the second one.

The theme for High School camp is The Upside of Down, and it couldn’t have been more fitting. During High School camp we saw spiritual forces – both good and evil – at work.

Spiritual War.

On the second day of camp, the spiritual war began. A massive storm turned life at camp upside down. The roads turned to rivers, power was knocked out, and the rushing water was so powerful it caused a cabin to move right off its foundation.

Without power, the kitchen crew couldn’t prepare food for the campers. We didn’t know how long we’d have to wait for electricity. But as the Bible says, “God works all things for good.” We asked the campers to pray in unison for the power to be restored. Based on what we’d heard from the hydro company, it could be hours before things were restored.

10 minutes later the power came back.

By no means was this luck. It was God showing us that He answers prayers, and in obvious ways. We’ll never know how many campers were doubting God and needed to see that display of His power.

The Battle.

If we thought the storm and power outage was the first skirmish between good and evil, we witnessed a full-blown war the following day. Right after lunch, everything changed when our water pump failed. Without water for the next day and a half, we had to fully place our trust in God.

We were down and at a loss. We brought in porta potties and bought jugs of water, but showering and dishes were an issue. If we didn’t have cups and utensils, how would the campers eat?

There was a lot of prayer as they attempted to fix the pump. We knew there were forces at work that didn’t want to see the camp succeed. Yet God remained faithful, even when things were rough. After over 30 hours of no water, the plumbers were able to fix the issue.

To Summarize…

The first week of camp was truly a unique and wild experience. While some things kinda sucked, we also learned about trusting God, depending on Him alone, the importance of prayer, staying calm under pressure, His provision, and how He uses the worst of circumstances to reveal Himself. God has a plan for every one of us, but it can only come to fruition if we follow His will. We depended on Him for answers at camp, and He was faithful.

Apart from the chaos, camp was amazing. I did my duty as a lifeguard during the skill sessions, which was great. The chapels were truly impactful, and hearing the campers’ stories during the debrief meeting was so good. God’s glory shone through it all, despite the issues.

In God We Trust.

This statement aptly sums up the first two weeks of camp. We can’t do it alone. When troubles arise, like they did during camp, it’s God we need to turn to. We aren’t in control – He is.

There are forces out there, both good and evil. The devil will try everything he can to stop our camp from functioning, to stop us from teaching the campers about God’s love for them. Thankfully, we have Jesus. He has the ultimate power, and even when we’re uncertain about the future, we can be certain about His plan for us.

I hope you’ve found this recap encouraging and inspiring. I hope you know that God does answer prayers – I saw it myself. What I’ve put in this post is only a fraction of what happened during the first two weeks of camp. I can’t fathom what’s still to come. Part two will be coming out in two weeks, where I’ll recap my time as a camper and Middle School cabin leader. God bless.

-Samuel James

“With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.”