Jr. High Girls Camp 2008

I was once again amazed by God's grace, peace and beauty as I saw him working in the hearts of 108 jr high girls this week!

Highlights of the week include:

► My computer--which was to be used for all our lessons and worship sessions--broke down completely five minutes before our first chapel time. I actually laughed. "I should have expected this," I told one of the staff members. Thankfully, the previous night when I had edited the PowerPoint® presentations, I had thought, If something happens to this computer we could lose everything we need for this week, and so I had copied all my camp files to my memory stick. We were able to just use Amber's laptop for the rest of the week. What could have been disastrous ended up not being a problem at all.

► For the first time in four years of directing this week of camp, we had to send home a camper due to behavioral problems. Even that went well because the girl was sad to leave, she wanted to come back next year, and she knew we loved her. Throughout what could have been a sticky and difficult disciplinary process, I felt complete peace that each discussion and each consequence we issued was done with a heart of love that God had given us for this girl.

► On Wednesday, a friend of mine spoke very honestly to the girls about the painful experiences she has experienced in life, and how God has grown her through them. As she shared her pain with them, it was as if walls of fear were melting from the girls hearts. That night, girls in each cabin began to share with others the pain they felt that they had been afraid to share before. As the girls saw the pain that their friends or even the girls they hadn't liked before had experienced, their hearts softened toward one another. After that evening the entire camp was unified in love and understanding in an amazing and inexplicable way that I believe only came from God. It was amazing to see cliques that had been fighting suddenly want to spend time together, suddenly accepting each other. I can't really describe the feeling that permeated the rest of the week...but there was a lot of acceptance and compassion for one another.

► After we sent the girl home, some of her friends were very upset with us, but as we talked with them and showed love to them, their hearts softened toward us--especially after Wednesday night. Thursday afternoon, three of the girls came to me and were talking about the experiences of someone they knew. "I can't believe he left her when he found out she was pregnant and then thought he could come back once she lost the baby!" one girl exclaimed with disgust. "It's so sad," I replied, "I see so much pain that comes from experiencing full physical intimacy with someone before there is full emotional intimacy and before there is complete commitment to one another." The girls were listening intently, so I continued. "There are so many people who feel love for someone and give themselves to that person only to find out that the other person was not as committed. That's one of the reasons why I believe the only safe place for sex is within committed life-long relationship with another person. In our culture, the way we publicly make that commitment is through marriage vows and a marriage ceremony." To my amazement, the three girls (one of whom was seen to have condoms in her purse) nodded their understanding. They were still quiet so I decided to keep going. "Of course, another problem is that these days marriage is viewed less as a life-long commitment and more as a temporary arrangement. I think people have become confused about what love is. They think that love is butterflies in the stomach, and raw attraction. Love stories often end at the beginning of commitment, and they don't show you the hard times that come next. Real, life-long love is choosing to show love to someone you are committed to, even when the feelings aren't there for a period. A mother may not have oogly feelings toward a child that is screaming hateful things at her, but a loving mother does what is best for her child even when it is not easy." I looked at the girls who had just been sharing about how much their parents' divorces had hurt them, "I'm hoping that since you guys have experienced the pain that comes from splitting up a family or from growing up with only one parent, you will be the generation to do things differently. I hope that you guys can decide to save physical intimacy for a fully committed relationship to save yourselves from hurt and to make sure that the children you have will grow up with two parents who love them. And I hope you will realize--unlike the generations before you--what true love is, and that you will work to have healthy marriages that survive the hard times, so that your children do not have to experience the things that have been so hurtful to you." The girls looked serious and thoughtful, but they were nodding as I talked. I pray that God will give this next generation the strength to do things differently, even when it is difficult, and that they and their children will be blessed because of it.

► After Wednesday night's openness and transparency, several girls felt safe enough to ask for help with abuse that has occurred in their home and to admit their struggle with body image or eating disorders. As a camp, we have done and will continue to do what we can to ensure the safety of each girl and to see that she receives the help she needs in order to begin to heal.

► On Friday night, a counselor asked me to sit down with her cabin as they were asking many difficult questions. Included in her cabin were three young women who honestly told me, "We are not Christians yet, but we're thinking about it and we are trying to see if it is right." Some of them had felt a lot of pressure this week to begin a relationship with God through Jesus, and I think the pressure was relieved slightly when I affirmed how important I thought it was for them to consider this decision seriously and thoroughly. These girls were amazing! Some of the questions we discussed were:

• How can we trust the Bible to be true?
• How can a loving God allow anyone to experience hell?
• Why do you claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
• What happens to babies, mentally handicapped people, and people who have never heard about Jesus die?
• How does a person cross over from wondering to believing?
• Can someone live a happy life without a relationship with God?
• Does it matter if two people in a marriage/relationship have different beliefs?
• If God is more powerful than Satan, why doesn't he destroy him right now?
• Why did God let people choose to sin?
• If God knew people would sin and some would be eternally separated from him, why would he make us?

There were no miraculous breakthroughs, but I could see God's holy Spirit working to draw these girls to him. I pray that the words I spoke and the attitude I portrayed would represent God's glory and truth well, and that where I failed God will lead them to his truth.

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Overall it was a really great week. Even though some things were difficult, God allowed me to feel peace and have a fairly stress-free week. The stress I did experience had less to do with camp and more to do with my health and the loan process. I truly enjoyed speaking in the mornings, and although I’m sure that the hot topics we discussed in the evenings (friendship, peer pressure, depression, body image, and relationships) are the things the girls will remember the most, I’m absolutely okay with that. I do hope that when we talked about heaven, it helped the girls begin to imagine that it will be a wonderful, exciting, adventurous place. And that they will begin to look forward to and even long for this place where they can be in the presence of the God of the universe who created each of us and loves us and died for us and calls us to come to him.

Lord thank you for such a wonderful week. Thank you for leading me in what to say to specific girls and for giving me ideas of how to communicate with them when they were asking tough questions. Use the truth you spoke through me to minister to the girls where they are, and anything that I said from myself that was not true or helpful for them, allow them to forget. Please grow and encourage those girls who trusted in Jesus this week. Please comfort all who are hurting, and allow them to feel your presence in a very real way as they go through hard times. Please bring healing to the hearts of these girls as they seek to find their identity and their value in relationship to you! I know you love them more than I do, and I trust you to work things for good in the lives of those who are yours. Amen.