Thoughts

YOUTH CAMP RECAP
Here's the short version:
(1) Mile High Pines should be renamed Mile High Pile of Dirt because it's so dirty there.
(2) But having said that, it's filled with lots of things to do like a hike to a lake for canoeing, all these trust games, rock wall climbing, zip line, leap of faith, etc. Plus, I hear we get it for a pretty good deal so it makes that place ideal.
(3) The campfire/testimony time has definitely been corrupted over the last few years. It's filled with shout-outs to friends and performances. It's a shame because those nights really used to be about glorifying God for what He's done.
(4) After having two rather uneventful (and maybe unsuccessful, if you can call it that) one-on-one encounters with two of my guys, I felt discouraged that God couldn't use me to reach these kids. I should be careful for what I ask for because right after that, I had two different two-hour heart-to-heart talks with two other of my guys.
(5) These kids have a lot more issues and the things they are dealing with were things I didn't encounter until college or beyond. Kids definitely grow up much faster these days.
(6) The last night proved to be extremely emotional and many people (including guys) were crying like babies during a prayer session. Even I couldn't hold back.
(7) Most poignant moment for me: During the prayer time, the counselors were supposed to go to our guys when they raised their hands to say they needed prayer. After one of my guys told me he wanted to reconnect with a friend to establish an accountability partnership, I really wanted the two of them to hook up to pray on their own. But I didn't think it was going to happen so I was going to intervene to make it happen. But as I was about to walk towards them to force it to happen, they found each other on their own to pray. It was amazing and that's when I started crying. Shame on me for doubting God.