To be completely honest this is the most excited I've been about camp in a while...and all for selfish reasons:
-We didn't leave at the butt crack of dawn
-We took vans, not charter buses (and being the youth pastor's wife I got the front seat)
-Camp was only 2.5 hours away, not 10+ hours
-We were staying in dorms...aka not 12 girls sharing one shower that floods the whole bathroom
Crossroads is in Anderson, SC and they do camp so well. The thing that makes them stick out so much in excellence is their summer staff. They are incredible. When we got there, they all greeted us with SO much energy. Then, Stephen and I had to go check in while the students hung out outside. When we came back, some of the quietest, most introverted students ran up to us and said, "I've already made 7 new friends!" A lot of the students who went to Caswell last year were really sad Stephen didn't choose to go back to Caswell. One of those came up to us after we registered and said, "I already like this camp better." All of this was in the first 30 minutes of being at camp.
With a week that starts off that great, how can you not have a good time?!
We were there for their GO Week where we got to participate in several different service projects throughout the week.
Our projects included:
Helping with a 5K Superhero Dash to raise money for a children's home
Helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity
We promise no students were harmed in the making of this house!
Hosting a pool party for kids for a mothers morning out
This event may or may not have resulted in one of our leaders getting a black eye.
Sorting and organizing at a local warehouse that serves veterans and senior citizens
Sorting and organizing at a local food bank
Sorting and organizing at a local pregnancy support center
Hosting a free car wash for the community
We were supposed to also serve in a nursing home, but they had a virus break out the weekend before we got there so we weren't allowed to go...fine by me! Not trying to get sick.
Instead we attended a workshop on how to share the gospel. Then, we broke up into pairs and practiced.
It was a H.O.T week! But, the students did great and the majority of them did well staying hydrated. We only had 2 get sick and one get home sick. Out of 33 kids, mostly middle schoolers (aka freedom away from mom and dad means eating junk and drinking soda 24/7), I'd call that a win!
The worship services were great and they even had a live stream each night so parents at home could watch along with us. Since it was GO week we practiced singing songs in several different languages (Spanish, Malay, and Thai)
We also got to hear Naeem Fazal share his testimony. He used to be Muslin and has a powerful story.
In addition to service projects we also got to participate in Rec time.
Spike Ball
Basketball
Volleyball
Gaga Ball
Crossroads has invented their own field game called Epic. We had a blast playing!
For students who didn't want to play games during rec time, they had a studio and jam lounge set up where students could do art, sing, and/or play instruments. Many of us retreated here at some point to get out of the heat.
Our biggest prayer for this week was for our students to really bond. Our youth group is really young and Sunday evenings can be super awkward at times because everyone feels like they don't know anyone else. God answered our prayer in a big way at camp! The momentum and energy among the students was so cool to watch grow and continue even after we got back from camp. We're praying this continues as we go into the school year.
God is definitely working in the lives of these students and we're honored to get to play a small role in that.
Now for a few more pictures from the week.
Group shot before we left.
Waiting in line for dinner...the only bad thing about camp...their food. :/
The one and only time Stephen has ever voluntarily let me be his twin.
Happy 4th of July from the Snyders!
(the only pic we got together at camp)
Waiting to go into worship. Some of our students got interviewed for the morning show.
Fun times before worship started.
Church group time.
He'll gladly twin with other people!
Group shot before we left to come home.
Camp...well, student ministry in general...would not be possible without amazing leaders. We've been so blessed with the leaders that were already in place when we got to Summit a year ago and we love serving alongside as we strive to reach the next generation with the gospel.
This was the view in the van before we even got out of Anderson.
High school girls back at home!
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