Best Week of Your Life!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come..." 2 Corinthians 5:17
Throughout the school year during the announcements at each club as we are sharing the details of our camp trip I always end with the same line - "I promise this will be the best week of your life or I will give you your money back." Week after week for over 20 years I have shared this line with the students in the room and we have never had anyone ask for their money back! Maybe they are so tired by the time they get off the bus they forget my promise but I think there is more to it.
I know that every student who steps foot on camp property is going to have a great time tubing, zip lining, hanging at the pool, conquering the ropes course, eating great food, and sharing lots of laughs. Those are all great things but they are not the catalyst for the promise. I promise the best week because I know that at camp our students (and leaders) are going to be in a place where they are loved, hear the Gospel message, and have an encounter with Christ. For some, I know that this will be a week where their lives will be changed forever, Christ will grab their hearts and they will truly become a new creation!
I asked one of our students, Lauren, if she would share a little bit about her journey and how this camp week changed her life:
"Going into my first year of camp I didn't really know God or wholeheartedly think I could give my heart to Him. But this year at Lake Champion changed my whole perspective. A few months before graduating high school I was struggling with addiction. I was vaping, smoking weed up to 4x a day, and drinking every weekend. The day before camp my parents found out about everything and I feared what my life would look like going home after camp.
I have never felt so vulnerable as I cried every night at camp. The withdrawal I felt at camp only made my emotions that much stronger, but as I shared with my leaders and friends I felt the weight slowly lifting. With every cry, every hug, and every conversation I knew I wanted to quit for good. I dedicated my life to Christ this year, walking up to the stage to give my life to Him had me so emotional, I knew it was the best decision. Walking back to my seat balling my eyes out, getting hugs from friends and strangers, people who don't even know my story. I felt seen and I felt heard. My family has been super supportive and has helped me quit. I am going on 3 weeks sober and I'm just getting started. Without YL I would be going down the wrong path, slowly losing myself."
It has been such a gift to be able to see God at work in Lauren's life, I am so grateful that God would invite us into this miracle! We are so excited to walk alongside Lauren as she begins this walk.
As summer winds down and as we approach another school year I hope you are encouraged. We look back over the summer with gratitude as our faith is deepened by seeing God at work and we look forward to the school year with anticipation as we get to share His love and His story with our friends.
We are grateful to be in this with you, thank you for all that you do to keep this ministry going!
For Christ and kids,
Max and Sam