BY HADASSA MANCHESTER
1. NOT ALL CAMPS HAVE BAD FOOD!
This stereotype is one that I had thought for sure was true after years of having endured barely edible food at different camps, until I came to Camp Alandale. In fact, when they served bacon one morning, it was so scrumptious, that I not only went for seconds, but also volunteered to help clean up the kitchen so that I could eat the leftovers. Note: this is a sure way of procuring extra delicious tidbits and getting a chance to have some good conversations with your fellow JCs on dish duty, which brings me to my second point.
2. DOING THE DISHES IS NOT ALWAYS BORING!
Now, washing the dishes is not usually my favorite thing to be doing, especially since I get to do them almost every evening at home. But at Camp Alandale I relearned that even the work that we usually consider the most boring, can be fun when we are willing to do it as a service to the Lord. Also when you’re working alongside some of the other JCs, it’s a great time to bond with each other and have some good conversations that you might not get a chance for otherwise.
3. TAKE A STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!
I have heard people say this countless times before, and at JC training this became a reality for me. As hard as it can sometimes be, every time I do step out of my comfort zone I realize more and more the value of times like this. I remember on the first day, one of the Camp Directors looked at me at the end of one of our training sessions and asked me to close in prayer. For a moment I froze up and must have looked like a deer in the headlights. Praying out loud (among other things) is something that for some reason makes me extremely nervous, but God gave me the courage I needed, not only in this situation, but also in many others. A verse that kept coming to mind was 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING "HOT!"
Something I’ve always struggled with is getting over my shyness and opening up to people, particularly when it comes to sharing about something difficult that I’m going through. I remember so many different occasions where people have asked me how they could be praying for me or asked me to share what was going on with me, and always I would come up with some superficial request for a friend’s friend or an aunt’s cousin. When I got to Camp Alandale, the Camp Directors impressed upon us all, that when we split up into our smaller groups (also known as prayer dot groups) we needed to be honest, open and transparent (or HOT) with each other -- no prayer requests for mother’s aunt’s cousins, we were there to bear one another’s burdens and we were all family. It stuck with me and I really felt that God was putting it on my heart to share something hard that I was currently going through. I couldn’t understand why I should, but I also prayed for courage and the Lord gave it to me, so when my turn came to share, I was able to. Later that day one of the girls from my prayer dots group came up to me and told me that she was going through something similar and thanked me for being willing to open up.
5. EVERYONE AT JC TRAINING IS AMAZING!
Upon my arrival, I was kind of just standing there, possibly trying to hide from all those new people who kept on coming, and wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into by deciding to come to a place where it seemed like everyone else had known each other for years. My misgivings were to be very short-lived, however, for almost no sooner had the thought entered my head than one of the girls walked up to me, gave me a big hug and introduced herself. Shortly thereafter someone else came up to me and upon hearing my name, told me that over the past week he had chosen to pray for two of the people whose names were on the JC Training list and mine had been one of them. I was like, “Whoa! This is so cool, someone I’ve never even met before has been praying for me!” Everyone there was so welcoming and kind that by the end of the weekend I found that I had a bunch of new friends!
BY BRANDON GESTON
1. COMPLAIN LESS, PRAY MORE
Complaining about something isn't going to get you anywhere
and can just drag you down. Pray for it instead, bring your problems to
God and learn to let go of them.
2. THE MORE YOU ARE IN THE WORD, THE MORE YOU ARE AT PEACE
Spend some quality time with God and his word. The
more in depth and the more you immerse yourself in God, the more peaceful you
will feel. That is not to say that troubles won't come your way, it will just make it easier to deal with them.
3. GOD ALWAYS WANTS TO TALK TO YOU, YOU JUST HAVE TO LEND HIM AN EAR
No matter how much we may ignore him, God is always there
waiting to speak to us. Maybe not directly, but through reading his word
he gives us direction and comfort in life.
4. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU
God has a purpose and a plan for everybody; no matter how
big or small, old or young, God wants to use you. He uses us in many
different ways, ways that we may not even realize, so always remember to think
and act with God in mind. Don't forget to pray for his guidance in your life and decisions too.
5. THE MEMORY VERSE
"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and life. No one
shall come to the father except through me. If you had really known me, then
you would know who my father is. From now on you do know him and have
seen him.'" John 14:6-7
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