God has been doing amazing things in the summer through our many camp programs. We are embarking on multiple trips again this summer. One of the major trips we do is going to a ranch in Wyoming. When we returned last year we knew all of the students had a great time with each other and were able to see God in a new way.
One of the great things about getting out of Pasadena and going to a completely different environment is that you leave everything you know behind which allows you to look back on your life at home with new eyes.
Today, a student’s life is so full of the media, friends, and every thing else that is a part of urban life; God tends to be drowned out. When we are separated from everything that is normal to us and are alone in the silence, God makes contact with our students’ ways that are new and fresh, it’s amazing to watch when they realize that this one true living God is not erratic, mean spirited or unpredictable; but that God is completely good and can be trusted all the time.
Standing on a hill in Wyoming is breathtaking: from watching the early morning sunrise to the evening sunset over the rolling planes, horses, buffalo and Texas long-horns on hill after hill. We ask the students every night as we go over the days events what they did or saw that particular day that they had never experienced before.
They say things like, I saw a real sunset, a live rabbit, a buffalo or a deer. I was swimming in a lake, seeing God in the trees, hearing God in the wind of the grass, I experienced a real thunderstorm, using a hammer and nail for the first time…the list goes on and on and seems to be things that many of us take for granted.
The purpose of these trips is to begin to build a sense of dignity and accomplishment into these students. The trips trigger in our students new ways of thinking about whom God is who gives them strength. When the students experience something like riding a horse, building a wall, or canoeing down a wild river they realize that they can accomplish things even though they may seem hard or scary at first.
This summer, our students are going to not only make the trek to Wyoming; they will also get a chance to go to Forest Home, New Orleans or Royal Family Kids Camp. They will spend time with positive adult mentors and neighborhood student leaders who have past experiences with the camp program and the Lake Avenue Community Foundation Mentoring program.
In order to go on the trip, the students must work a certain number of community service hours. The work requirement gives these young teens ownership and a sense that they are helping to offset the cost of their trip. While at the camp, the students get to experience a loving community, amazing scenery and a chance to focus on who God is to them or for some, an introduction to God for the very first time.
Last summer, as staff, we came back with such a great excitement about what we had seen, the relationships we had built, goals we set and a new opportunity to further these students understanding and knowledge of Christ in our lives.
This summer, many students will come back home after a week in God’s great outdoors needing a loving Christ-like adult in their life to continue the process of support and care that has already begun at camp. Would you like to help us continue sharing this love? You can help make a difference! We . . . the students need your help today!
