Day one has been chaotic, tiring, stressed, exhausting, and haywire. These are just a few words to describe the journey to camp. Our group met up at the FBC Worship Foyer at 4 am. The bus took a couple of wrong turns that put us behind 45 minutes or so. The condo parking lots are also not bus friendly, which meant our group had to carry our luggage a long way. Once it was all said and done...we were 1 1/2 hours off cue.
The beauty of doing camp yourself is that it enables you to have the flexibility you need to accomplish certain tasks and queak schedules. Plus adding a bus full of Middle Schoolers into the mix presents additional challenges! Believe it or not, the best Middle School Ministry book on the market is called, "Controlled Chaos."
On the other hand, day one has been fun, blessed, exciting, and encouraging. We have a great group of men and women who are eager to help serve and to love on Middle Schoolers. Once our group officially got checked into the condo, we had a time of orientation. It was at this time that we discussed schedules, rules, goals, and made the necessary adjustments. Following this, the students shared in a "get to know you activity" with their Family Groups. Then they had an hour to play and to relax.
We then all gathered back together for supper. We actually ordered 24 large pizzas tonight to feed everyone. We were strapped for time and had to delay the grocery run. After supper, we gathered for worship. Tonight's topic was God. Our worship leadership did an incredible job engaging our students in song and the Word. Our focus tonight were the attributes of God. This was followed by a time of Bible Study focusing on God being the beginning and the end and how we fit into the picture.
Let's introduce you to our worship leadership this year. Our students are privileged enough to spend the week with Church Planters. Aaron and Andrew Johnson are planting a church in Washington, PA. It is great to expose our students to two guys with chemistry, passion, and the faith enough to leave the comforts of central Arkansas and plant a church in a difficult area. God has blessed their work! You can see more about their church on the web at http://www.lifepointatwashington.com/
After Bible Study, it was time for Late Nite. We played a game called "Bear, Man, Gun" and "Limbo." The leaders competed in a game called "Paper Plate." We are all tired and hope...maybe...to get a little rest to prep up for day two.
