Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
Back to my serene spot by the lake after a busy week with five hundred high school students at a Young Life camp in Georgia. Picturesque SharpTop Cove is located in the mountains of northern Georgia.
Excited students climbed off bus after bus from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missippi, and Texas to attend an amazing week of activities. Team members welcomed them with music and smiles. Work crew members grabbed luggage and led them to their cabins. Many of the wide-eyed attendees had come for the first time and didn’t know what to expect.
All week, energy flowed as they sang, danced, played volleyball, threw frisbees, swam, slid down a slide into the lake, maneuvered the ropes course, hiked… With no phones, the young people actually enjoyed being together and having fun.
Even with all the activities, godly values were woven into each day. The camp speaker gave a daily Biblical message. Five leaders shared stories about their difficult lives that God had changed.
Leaders spent time getting to know campers better and answering questions. Students formed relationships with new friends and enhanced older ones.
By the end of the week, the final message revealed how to have a relationship with Jesus. Some teens already knew Jesus, but for some campers, the concept was new.
Everyone who had accepted Jesus during the week, was asked to stand, say their name, and Say So. What a moving experience it was to see teens loving God and knowing their lives will be changed. Perhaps their family members and friends will too after observing them.
Each time I attend a Young Life event, I am thankful for all who participate in the ministry. Young people around the world have an opportunity to know about Jesus. It is encouraging to see them heading in the right direction.
Dear Lord, be with each student and leader as they live as Christians in an often hostile environment. Show them how to live in the world but not get entangled in the world. Help us all be more bold in sharing the Gospel.
Amen
