Winter Camp Reflections

Hello friends! I just got back from a weekend winter camp up in the mountains. It was a fantastic time with friends and with God. Today I'll be sharing my thoughts about camp.

Friends

I was in a cabin with the girls my age and a year older. We had so much fun singing, sharing snacks, playing games, and talking. On Saturday, some girls from camp went on a hike. While hiking, I had a good conversation with my former small group leader. That night, my small group gathered on my friend's bed and just chatted. These types of conversations with friends are always highlights from any camp for me. 

God

The band was super cool. I don't know if you've heard of Urban Rescue (I hadn't until this weekend), but they came to camp to lead us in worshiping God. I really liked their music, although at first I wasn't sure. If you want a sample of their music, here is a link to one of their songs I really liked. 

Every camp has a theme, and this year it was Kaleidoscope: Do you see what I see? The speaker (who was also really awesome) talked about seeing things the way God sees them. The session I really loved was when he talked about how we are jars of clay, just displaying the glory of God. There is nothing special about us, but we are to reflect God's glory. He used the illustration of the Kaleidoscope to talk about our focus. He said that a Kaleidoscope only works when it is pointed at the light. Also, it is filled with insignificant broken pieces of glass. But when it is pointed at the light, the light reflects off the glass, making a beautiful picture. He said that we are the broken pieces of glass, and God is the light. When we are on our own, we are insignificant, but when we are focused on the light, we make a beautiful picture of God's glory for the world to see. It was a good reminder of who I really am and what my purpose on earth is...to give glory to God. 

The other I walked away with from the same session was this question that he asked us: "When you walk into a room, do you bring, share and leave hope, encouragement, and joy, or is their a path of despair in your wake?" I'd like to say that I always leave joy and hope in my path, but that would be lying. He said that because our purpose is to bring glory to God, our joy and hope should not change no matter what our circumstances are. Even in the hard times God is the same, and if our hope is in him (which, as believers, it should be), then our hope doesn't change either. I realized that my conversation does not always bring hope and joy to the room, so that's what I want to change following this camp. I've been praying that God would fill me with such joy that I can't help but have it overflow onto those around me, always pointing back to God as the source for my hope and joy. 

Keep Scrolling for photos. :)

Ready for the first session!

The beautiful view on the hike

My small group! :)