15 Useful Things I Learned at Camp

Last year I made a list of things that I learned from camp...I believe I titled it, "15 Superfluous Things I Learned at Camp". Well, I'm going to do the same here, except these are not superfluous things.

For those of you who don't know, Youth Camp is a 3 1/2 day event held by the Sovereign Grace church of Marlton, NJ each year for youths ages 12-18 and their parents. Though there are different teams that compete throughout the day at a variety of games, YC is about more than games and competitions. Which is good, because our team, The Royal Servants, did not win many games. The real focus of YC is to bring people to Christ and renew the weary with sound teaching, worship, and encouragement from the many wonderful Christians surrounding you. 

1. You should never resist the love or Spirit of God. Indeed, it's impossible to escape the Spirit when He's moving. But you should never resist the love of God--even if you feel like you're beyond it's grasp, you aren't. 

2. Doing things that you aren't altogether comfortable with can end up being very beneficial. Whether it's stepping out on water to take a chance (both literally and figuratively), really opening up to a mentor, or introducing yourself to new people, you'll find that more often than not, it's always better to be uncomfortable for a moment rather than playing it safe. 

3. Walking on water is fun. As I mentioned, stepping out on water to take a chance is really fun. At camp there were these water mats that you could play on with others. They usually were a habitat for lots of horseplay, (my favorite...not), but I bundled up my courage and my life vest and found that I really enjoyed myself...even if I did get pushed off a few times. 

4. People really do care about you. Sometimes it's easy to think that no one really does care, but I've been touched several times by the thoughtfulness of many people around me and I'll never forget the ways that they've showed love and care through things as simple as preparing food specifically for me and my specifications. 

5. God sees past performance...your performance will never save you--nor will it condemn you. God will love you right where you are and He'll take you from there. So don't get up on your high horse and think that you're doing well, neither should you feel condemnation at "not being good enough". Jesus, and only Jesus, was good enough. So lean in on the cross and His love for you.

6. Morning swims are very fun. 7:15am on the last day of camp found me and two others jumping into the pond for a swim. We thought it would be cold, thankfully it was actually warm. What was cold was the air as we got out and ran to our hot showers. It really was a pretty swim though, birds flying overhead and mist rising off the water. 

7. Memorizing scripture is awesome. During camp we were encouraged to memorize large sections of the book 1st John. Holly and I enjoyed drilling each other throughout the afternoon as we committed the verses to memory. It's something that I think everyone should do--even if you don't fully understand the passage, the Spirit will give you understanding as you meditate on it more and more. 

8. You shouldn't be shy when it comes to asking God for more of His love. He desires to give it to you, don't feel like you're inadequate and can't measure up to His standards. Humility will be rewarded. 

And these last few are a little less philosophical:

9. Big foot exists? At least, that's what Brian Fellows said. Along with him and Jiminny Jack, we were all greatly entertained as they searched for the "chewie". 

10. Elephants made out of duct tape can be ridiculously cute! But cuter still is the baby balloon elephant. 

11. A cafe is a good place to write, but everyone knows that already...just thought I'd confirm that knowledge with my own personal experience. 

12. Physical limitations should not inhibit your participation in activities. My good friend, Rebecca, has a broken/sprained foot and had to wear a cast all week, yet she was one of the best basketball players and scored well in ga-ga ball. She was a great example of the power of a positive attitude and was really encouraging to me. 

13. Pizza isn't the most popular food in the world. I find that hard to believe...and to this day I'm unsure what the correct answer is, but apparently it's not pizza!

14. It's really fun to say "you're welcome" to people in Spanish. When someone says "thank you" and they're expecting the usual... "de nada," is a fun twist. It can also open up opportunities for you to have a spontaneous Spanish conversation with someone about breakfast. :) 

15. New Jersians really aren't all that bad...even though they can't pump their own car gas, considering that pretty much everyone at camp was from New Jersey, I suppose I'll have to give up my bias. And besides, you should never judge a state or country by it's air port, and Newark is perhaps the only place in NJ that I've spent much time in...so I admit I was wrong about them. Not the Newark airport, no, that is still the same...but the actual people that make up New Jersey are better than I had assumed. 

That's all for now. I had a great experience at Youth Camp and am so thankful for everyone that invested into it and made it amazing, but mostly I'm grateful to God for the powerful ways He worked in everyone there.