A Day in the Life of the Teen Program || Drew – July 1
Today started off great! Devotions for my group has been on Psalm 1, and it seemed like the imagery and application to their lives really clicked with the boys. The boys’ counselor and translator was also the music leader and knew of a song that was based on Psalm 1 which also helped hit it home with them.Then it was time for the morning program and today’s topic for the teens was direction and purpose. I loved having the opportunity to develop the teen program for this year. We were able to tie the teen program to the kids’ program so that the large group stories would also be applicable to them and what they learned, without having to be bored in a craft or game that maybe tedious or not challenging enough for a teen level. This also means I got to choose what the teens got to do for activities and crafts, so today’s activity was shooting water balloons at a target across a field; something that fit great with the lesson and also was whole lot of fun!The craft that I chose was the beach craft with starfish glued on. Now before you think that was silly craft, the teen version of this craft included using foam and many of them made the the beach scene 3-D. The story was also particularly good for the lesson and that’s why I chose it. The story related to the craft is that of a guy walking along a shoreline picking up starfish along the way and throwing them back into the ocean, if you know the story then you know how it fits, if you don’t know the story then you’ll have to go on a GE mission trip this summer to find out. :-)The best part of this morning however was the actual lesson time where for the first time the teens were really participating and asking questions. This is monumental to me because this group had been exceptionally quiet and reserved; everyone said that it would take time for them to get comfortable with each other and me before they would start opening up, and today was that day! It could have happened earlier than the last full day of camp, but I’m grateful it happened.
After lunch, we did princess/warrior day - the boys go off and hike a mountain and the girls do their hair and nails and other girly stuff. I have no idea what the girls did during our hike, but I can tell you our hike was pretty cool. We hiked up this trail, drank from a waterfall, and took turns yelling into an old tunnel. Brandon, Devon and I gave a little talk as well about how real men honor God and honor others and that real men are not afraid to do what’s right. I told them the story of Abraham and how he chose to honor God and obey Him against all odds. Devon talked about how we were all brothers and that we should help our fellow man and that our brother shouldn’t fail at a task if we are able to help him succeed. He also spoke about how we are to be not only our brothers’ helpers but also our sisters’ protectors. Brandon got to tie it all together and talk about how we as men should never be afraid of doing what’s right and true.
Editor's note... unfortunately we have no pictures of "warrior" day. Though we searched hard to find the guys and take a couple of pics, we never found them... they were apparently well disguised among the trees and mountains of Romania. A fearsome group indeed.After our manly talk, we started back down the mountain and picked up fire wood all along the path for the bonfire finale tonight. Princess/warrior day was the perfect platform for what was probably one of the most important lessons of the teen program – sexual purity. This lesson was jointly taught by Amy and myself to the teens and those turning 13 that year. The topic had the group full of giggles at first, but they soon silenced and seem to be really pay attention, at least most of them. The teens seemed receptive, after the lesson we split for a time of Q&A, boys with me, girls with Amy. The boys didn’t have a whole lot of questions, at least not a lot they wanted to actually ask. Thankfully, my translator had some years of marriage under his belt and was able to share from his own life and the boys asked him some questions which was good. From what Amy said, the girls group was spectacular. The girls really had a lot of great questions and was really searching for good answers and wanting to do what’s right. The lesson itself took 45 minutes, then the girls had over an hour of Q&A with Amy; much longer than the boys’ session. So even though the boys might not have taken it as seriously, I’m so grateful that the girls did and pray that there were some lasting impressions made on both the girls and boys.After dinner, we had our final large group. Every large group the kids do some singing. I have had the wonderful opportunity to play alongside the leaders even if I had no idea what they were singing about. Tonight’s large group story was the Good Samaritan. I got to play the Good Samaritan and what was most enjoyable to me in this particular skit was that I was able to pay homage to Monty Python by having my translator (the best translator, Andrada :-) ) be my shadow by clapping cups together to make a walking horse noise. No one but a few team members got the joke, but I was nevertheless tickled that I could do that.
After large group, I immediately went to go set up and light the bonfire, so after reorganizing the wood, throwing whatever kindling we could find and throwing some accelerant in there, we finally got the fire going about an hour later. This was due the damp condition of the firewood available. Anyway, once the fire was lit, we started right in singing and making s'mores. it was such an amazing night getting to see all of the kids, some of whom started off as strangers, really coming together and acting like they’ve known each other for years. there were smiles and laughter, there were tears and loving embraces, by both leader and child alike. A bittersweet moment to be sure. Before we knew it, it was already 11pm and time for the kids to go to bed, but this isn’t the end of the night. This actually begins another favorite time for me: when the leaders/translators come out after the kids are in bed and relax and talk about their day. This where I can really build relationships with the translators some of whom are not much older than some of the teens I was teaching throughout the week. Tonight was going to be no exception, once the kids were in bed, all the leaders/translators came out and I got spend some invaluable and precious time with them; a night I will not forget for some time.Today has been one of the most memorable on this trip by far and rank among the best I’ve had in ministry. The people I’ve met and built relationships with this week will stay with me for a lifetime and really has created a deep connection with Romania within me. While camp ministry is the most strenuous and draining ministry I’ve ever done, it is also the most gratifying and has blessed me immensely every time I’ve been a part of such a ministry. Please pray for us as we are all physically and emotionally exhausted from the week and tomorrow we say goodbye to everyone which will be just heart wrenching and tearful as tonight was.Sincerely,Drew, for the team