CampOne - The Best Week of My Life

 

If Camp One were to be described in one word I don't even think the word amazing would be appropriate. The prayers of church community have definitely affected the record number of people at camp as well as its outcome.

Praise God that those prayers were heard and answered!

Camp One was jam packed with great activities ranging from intense soccer matches to mind boggling riddles. There was something for everyone to enjoy and free-time sessions were a must!

The leaders of camp welcomed everyone with open arms and happily answered any questions we had. They were more than just leaders; they were people who we call friends and role models of Christ.

Damo's and Deac’s talks really helped to both introduce Christ and to grow Christians in their faith. The talks challenged us to be the light and salt of the world, to pursue reconciliation quickly, to let the gospel be our motivation for illumination, and to not worry about our lives, because God's love controls every second of it.

Camp was a time where relationships were made and strengthened. Where year groups were brought together to become a loving Christ centered community. And a time where the lost were found in Christ.

In conclusion I think it would be appropriate to share my best experience at camp, which was undoubtedly the last night. The more the night went on, the more amazing it became. 

Seeing the Year 12 version of Everything by Lifehouse, hearing Sarah's emotional testimony, Damo's amazing talk on worrying, and the extended worship where everyone embraced each other in unity as we sung praise to our awesome God.

But the moment that cut me down to tears of happiness was when a friend I held close to my heart met God and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.   This is reason why Camp One produced the best week of my entire life.

Mekael Barnes

Changing Lives - A Mother and Son Story

I asked my son if he could remember any film that reminds him of good mothering.  He immediately recollected the movie “Blind Side” starring Sandra Bullock.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/

What a great choice.  What I remember most about this film was when the mother (portrayed by Sandra Bullock) was having lunch with her wealthy friends.  They were patting her on the back for helping a young man who did not have a home or an education.  Sandra Bullock‘s friends were affirming her desire to change this young man’s life.  Her response is superb “No, he’s changing mine”.

Mothering, a form of parenting, that is often referred to a choice in life that tests our endurance in unconditional and sacrificial love.  Although this is true, I think as mothers we can always thank our children for what they teach us.  Without children or family to care for, we would be endlessly selfish, believing in our core that we are the centre of the universe.  Taking care of children reminds us of how we need transformation by God’s Spirit so that we can give our children a taste of God’s love in their lives.

Mother’s Day is a wonderful day to remember our mothers and other significant caring women in our lives.  It is also a day to be thankful for our children, who remind us that we are fragile, insecure and in need of a saviour.  Praise our God that the children in our lives keep us on our knees in prayer, asking for His spirit to soften their hearts and ours as well.  What a privilege it is for our children to remind us that we are also in need of changing “inside out”.

Margaret Icke

An Insight into CampOne 2013 - Illuminate

On Tuesday April 16th, hundreds of eager campers arrived at Deer Park, keenly awaiting the start of CampOne 2013: Illuminate, excited for the days ahead of them.  At camp, the leaders were filled with enthusiasm and a passion for God’s word. They interacted with us, cared for us, and genuinely loved us. This had a deep impact on us and encouraged us to grow and learn in our faith.

Our daily schedule included exciting activities such as water-bomb fights, archery, soccer, tribal games, numerous turns on the water slide and a lot of free time.

Every night we would forward into the main auditorium on-site to worship God and hear the brilliant and moving messages both Joel and Damo had poured much of their time and effort into preparing for us. We were all challenged to examine our relationships with God, reflect, and evaluate what needed to be improved upon.

During this time, we were greatly encouraged to see a large amount of young people come to Christ, and it was also inspiring to see them being welcomed into our ‘family’ with open arms.

We are extremely thankful to God for this, and as a youth group/church, recognize that this is not only the start of a life full of trials, but also a rewarding life reflective of God’s light, love, and Christian fellowship.

Another great part of camp we were blessed to experience was the small groups. Every afternoon in groups of 5-10 people, we were presented with reflection questions - usually regarding the main talks. This provided an opportunity to really think about and apply what we had learned in the main talks.

As a result of CampOne 2013, we were united as a group and as we grew in our faith and love for one another, we bonded as a family. We grew closer, encouraging one another in brotherly and sisterly love, and supporting one another in our walks with Christ.

We are very thankful to all the leaders and YouthWorks staff for taking their time to plan and prepare all of the above, plus much more. Camp was something we will never forget, bringing us closer to God, our peers and our leaders.

It served as a brilliant reminder that even though our life on Earth may be short, there are much greater things to come for those who are in Christ.

- Daniel Wallace