Camp 2

Friday afternoon I arrived back home after a great week at camp.  We took 21 kids from Bethel, and packed what seemed like a million activities into 5 days.  The theme for the week was Trek West - this year is a major anniversary year of the Oregon Trail.  We played a week long game which at times was really fun, and at times really frustrating, but the kids loved it.  (Nevermind that 2 of the Bethel girls cabins came in last...)  We canoed, fished, learned archery, shot BB guns at the rifle range, made butter, rope, ice cream, t-shirts, whirligigs (google it), went tubbing on a ski boat and went swimming everyday.  Talk about a packed week!  

Even with all of those fun activities, I think the highlight of most of our kids week was the chapel services.  I haven't been in very many services where kids sang so purely at the top of their lungs "Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my God...."  It was enough to cause all the adults in the room to be reduced to a puddle of tears.  We saw 3 kids from our church filled with the Holy Spirit, 1 called to be a missionary, and 1 called to be a pastor.  Even though I got to pray with every single one of those kids, the highlight for me was when one of our boys from Bethel came up to me and said with tears running down his face "Pastor Aimee, can you pray for me to get closer to God?"  I love it when kids get what it means to be a Christ Follower.  

I didn't get much sleep, and I spent the bulk of the week with 5 pre-teen girls and 1 nine year old that made up my cabin.  I thought I knew everything I needed to know about Hannah Montana and Camp Rock, but apparently, I did not.  In short, it was an amazing week, one that I will not soon forget.  Now, I will be praying that what transpired at camp will keep growing into a deeper love of Christ in these kids.  And that that passion will spread to all of the kids who could not go.