Camp: Breaking Out of the Norm

By Brian Zahasky, director of youth ministry

It's early in the morning as I sit in the newly created prayer room. It is day three of our prayer week and I tingle inside at the positive, God-filled experience this prayer room has made on the church. I look at the cross right in front of me and I see the sincerity of people's confessions. I see nothing but the remains of burned candles. A map once empty now has a number of flags and designations for the missionaries that serve Jesus throughout the world. The wailing wall is filled with open hearts and a desire to see God move in amazing ways. Sprinkled across the room are cries out to God in the form of prayers, psalms and personal testimonies of God's presence in this room. I well up inside with excitement at the work God is doing in my life and in the life of the church.

So what does this have to do with camp? As I sat in the prayer room this week I felt emotions that brought back distant memories. For a while I wasn't quite sure what these memories were, until I realized that I was being brought back to my camp days. A few summers ago I was the director of the island camp located on a small island in the middle of a lake back in Minnesota. It was a small outdoor camping experience, one of many camping opportunities offered by Camp Shamineau.

One particular week a group of students arrived on the island and could most clearly be labeled as the “too cool” crowd. Nothing was quite right for them, no game to their standard, no meal to their liking, no fun activity to match their expectation. I thought to myself, “This is going to be the longest week of my life.”  Wednesday night arrived, which is typically when the director would give a message of the gospel of Christ and the truth behind salvation. I remember being nervous and sitting behind the chapel praying for what seemed an eternity, asking God to give me the words to share with the kids.  When it was finally my turn to give the message, I walked to the front of the room and began to share the message of Jesus Christ.

Like a wave approaching the shore, my message got stronger and stronger. The Spirit took over and I was overwhelmed by God's presence in my soul. I looked up at the cross and I was overcome with emotions. My too-cool group of students for the first time all week sat quietly, their eyes locked on my expressions and the words that left my mouth. When I was done, I prayed with the students, encouraging them to invite Christ into their life as Lord and Savior. The change was immediate and noticeable. These kids didn't become angels overnight, but God was alive in their soul. The icing on the cake was that the following summer, one of those girls came back, and in a time of testimony, she shared that she accepted Jesus Christ for the first time a year ago while attending Island camp.

I was hooked; there is a euphoria that only comes from experiences like that. The truth of the matter is this: These students' lives were changed because, in an environment that was removed of all the distractions of life, God showed up in powerful ways.

In fact, the prayer room is a great example and model for what camp is like. Yes, it doesn't have the waterfront and the excessive amounts of candy, but it is a place set aside for kids of all ages to be surrounded by the presence of God.  And you know what . . . God shows up!!!! As we prepare to send out kids to camp this summer, let us all find places where we too can be overwhelmed by His presence and encouraged to grow in the shadow of the cross.