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| Of course, shenanigans during the meal! |
Greetings from Fort Stewart and Hunter!
“Hey, what are you guys up to over
spring break this year?”
The usual question asked when we near that time of
year for our students. Everyone has the ‘itch’ to get away and do something
instead of being locked down and bored at home. My reply,“We’re planning on
offering a spring break work project and retreat for four days and three nights
if you’re interested in joining us!” Never before have I imagined so many
parents and teens ready to enroll their kids for something during spring break. I thought a majority of our teens would be
busy doing something else or the family traveling elsewhere. Originally we
planned to cap the total to 30 teens, but my heart broke when we had a few
extra come ask if we’d allow them to attend. In all, 33 ended up attending
during spring break. However, it isn’t normal when of the 33 signed up, 23 were teenage boys and 10 were girls. Before we
even stepped into the camp, I had a feeling God was preparing us for something
different than we expected.
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The fun was on as soon as the
'yutes' showed up! :) |
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| Ladies enjoying the game of Life! |
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| The ladies petting the onery horse, Logan! :) |
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| We get enough food?!!? |
Our plan was to come alongside Marshview
Bible Camp, the camp we take our students to during the summer and help them
prepare for their upcoming summer camp season. There is no shortage of projects
to help with. We helped begin the construction of their first-ever obstacle
course to be used during their summer camps. We were slated to help build the
first two stations for the multi-station course. Building the stations would
include digging a dozen 2-foot holes for a bear crawl exercise and two 3-foot
holes for the 2nd station, a 7-foot wall to be scaled by rope and
climbed over. Other projects we accomplished through the week included raking
and moving tons of leaves that have
fallen upon the camp and thorough cleaning of every cabin for incoming
residents in camp season. Our group also
gathered and donated enough cleaning supplies between both installation
locations to supply the camp for the summer and beyond!
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| It was a great place to play DODGEBALL!! |
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| Dodgeball in action! |
Of course, it wouldn’t be a great
trip if we didn’t plan plenty of open and free time for our students to enjoy
the camp. We planned great team games,
competitions in the “Gaga Ball” and 3-on-3 basketball and about anything else
they could consider doing at the camp. If that weren’t enough, the dining hall,
aka “lighthouse”, provided a place where the kids could gather together and
play a wild round of Apples to Apples, Clue or enjoy some competition on the
air hockey table or ping pong table.
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The High School group's contribution
to the camp supply drive! |
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| The enormous amount from the middle school crew for the supply drive! |
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| Hunter's contribution to the supply drive! |
In between our work and play, our
students had some great moments to think about the times when they’ve wondered
if life was worth trying or just throwing up the ‘peace out’ sign and quitting.
Many of us have felt this before where life is mounting to a point where we are
tired and we want to walk away from our situation. Our teens don’t get that
many moments to truly ‘unplug’ and enjoy time away from the normal life they
have at home. We gave them an
opportunity to ask anything they’d like during the week by submitting their tough
questions. Later in the week, those
questions would be answered by a panel of leaders who gave them insight from
our own experiences and faith backgrounds.
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| Big ball soccer with the other youth at camp! |
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| This horse loved to take bites, of anything! :) |
In the middle of the camp, our teens and adults were given
the opportunity to write down something they felt that God would hold against
them – where God’s love couldn’t show up unlike where the father came with open
arms to his son who walked away in the story of the Prodigal Son. As we sat around the fire, our group had the
chance to take that card and pitch it into the fire and walk away. Not looking
back but looking forward on what God is doing in and through them in the here
and now. Our students also took the chance to show their God-inspired passions
and talents around the fire where we threw together an impromptu showcase for
them which ran well into the night. To say God showed up as the fire crackled
and lit the faces of our students watching and also showing their talents was a
shortfall. God was there in that moment.
During our time around the fire, we were given a reprieve of expectations,
stress, challenges, school, bullying, issues with friends, relationship issues,
divorce being discussed between parents, faith doubts, fighting at home,
military life, moving again, deployments and anything else that we arrived with
earlier in the week.
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These two guys hit half-court shots multiple times
during dodgeball to get their teams the win! |
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| These guys are awesome together from Hunter! |
Our teens rocked it. Our leaders brought it. Technology was no
factor. Lives were changed. Impact was made upon every person who attended over
spring break.
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Snapshots of students together were perfect as they became a melting
pot of teens from two locations! |
Each one of you who come alongside
this ministry and mission are part of God’s call on us to reach these teens and
make an impact. Your ongoing gifts have provided the ample opportunity for us
to be in those moments and present when God needed us. From in the moments of
answering the tough questions at the fireside or offering support when a student
asks about their parents’ pending divorce, each of you has a hand in this
calling.
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| The group together in our final mealtime enjoying tons of pizza! |
We thank you for being in this with
us, as God anoints and equips the called for His glory.
~Phil & Amy
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| The squad of Stewart and Hunter teens chillin' on their final day. |
