We are grateful to God for His goodness in so many different ways during Junior Camp. The weather was dry and sunny, but not too hot. There were no serious accidents. There was a good spirit and sense of unity amongst the whole team, officers and cooks. The children got on well and there was a lovely atmosphere on the camp. They listened well and engaged in the discussions during the Bible Studies. Some bought books from the bookstall, others had thoughtful conversations with officers or their friends. It is encouraging that so many of the young people love the Lord and was a delight to see them growing in the faith.
Junior Camp was held in Heatree Activity Centre on Dartmoor from 9-15 August. The speaker for the week was Rev Chris Rees from Narberth and his theme was ‘Being with Jesus’. His first talk was on ‘Running to Jesus’, taking the rich young ruler as an example (despite his final decision); then ‘Falling before Jesus’ to be cleansed like the leper in Luke 5; on Tuesday we considered ‘Sitting by Jesus’ to learn from Him as Mary did; Chris highlighted the difficulties of ‘Walking with Jesus’ and that we cannot do this in our own strength, and used the lame man in Acts 3 to show that Jesus gives us the power to walk with and for Him; and finally he talked about ‘Standing for Jesus’ and how we need to put on the armour of God, focussing in particular the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.
Talking with Chris one afternoon at the start of camp, he said that camps are always weeks that are blessed of the Lord, and talked about examples of unconverted people he knew who in later life still looked back fondly on their interactions with Christians through camps and youth groups. This resonated with my own reflections during the months of preparation leading up to camp. Camps are a week where the young people spend their whole time in the presence of God’s people and being cared for by them. They are weeks where Jesus shines through the words, actions and attitudes of the officers and cooks, despite our many weaknesses and failings (particularly as tiredness sets in later in the week!). The contrast in values and atmosphere between a week run by Christians to a week run by the world – perhaps a school residential trip or some other group – is one we can easily overlook, but it leaves a lasting impression on young people, particularly those from non-Christian homes.
On top of this, camps are saturated with God and His Word. The campers have a morning devotion in their rooms, a message from Chris during the morning meeting, an opportunity to dig deeper into the same truths during the evening Bible Study groups, and an epilogue (typically a testimony from one of the team) to end the day. Whilst all this exposure to the things of God will have no lasting impact without the work of the Holy Spirit, He is the Spirit of Truth and delights to work through the truths found in the Word of God.
What a blessing for these young people to spend a week like this! Please pray earnestly that they would not despise these things or dismiss them, but that God would bring to their memories the things they heard and discussed during this week, and that He will draw them to Himself.
