CAMP2013 // Recap Post #1

Oh. My. Goodness.

CAMP2013 was absolutely incredible.  We, as a staff, hope you feel the same way we do... We were just so blown away by how the Holy Spirit moved at CAMP2013... and are so incredibly grateful.

This week we are going to have a series of blog posts that will recap different Camp experiences.
We will have Camp Recap posts from so many different perspectives that you'll be able to read (i.e. Sam Bhatt, James, Kate, Jessie, Tyler (worship leader), the interns, apprentices, and even a few students and parents).
It's going to be an awesome way to just once again see how much God did this past week at CAMP2013.

-The rbcstudents Staff :)
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CAMP2013 Recap Post #1
By: Alex Dowell (rbcstudents intern)

This was not only my first rbcstudents CAMP experience, but my first camp experience ever. I did not grow up going to church, so the idea of a youth camp was completely foreign to me until this summer. As such, I was a tad overwhelmed at the idea of running recreation for students who had been attending camp for years and knew the ins-and-outs of what worked best and what didn’t… I had to constantly listen to the true voice of the Holy Spirit inside of me, reminding me my value doesn’t come from pulling off a successful rec session, but instead from simply resting in His joy and love and seeking to express those traits through my roles while at camp. And God showed up in some amazing ways to me and the students throughout the week.

            In the end, slip’n’slide baseball was a blast. The Great American Ninja Race Challenge Race brought out the competitive side in quite a few people. And finger rockets demonstrated which of us secretly dream of being in special-ops for the military. While I loved getting to spend time with the students in rec, what really stirred my heart and brought me the most joy was getting to hear from guys how God was changing their hearts. Camp can be a blast. There can be a lot of fun and great worship. But if these activities and interactions didn’t result in transformation by the Holy Spirit, it was really quite pointless. I’m so happy that this wasn’t the case though. Guys opened up their hearts, asking God for renewed life and purpose. And what excites me the most from these revelations is that God will follow through on their requests. He did for me three years ago at a winter conference in Denver for college students. God showed me how He uses events like camp to initiate lifelong change. For me, God used the teaching to reinvigorate my passion for His word, which had been dwindling some over the last few months. I can’t wait to see how everyone will continue to build upon the foundation that Jesus created in our hearts during this week.

            Until then, I can reflect on the terrific week of worship, transformative teaching, and loads of fun provided by rec, boats, and late night. Jesus’ name was lifted up high throughout the week of camp and I’m so blessed to have been a part of these students desire to pursue Him.