Over the years I've noticed things that go on at camps that I'm sure have always happened and always will happen 'till Jesus comes back, because of human nature and raging hormones.
Top Silly Things I see at Summer Camp :
1. Kids will never listen to "No Pairing Off!"
Or maybe they will, but they WILL find someone of the opposite sex they like, and make sure they get that person as their partner in games. And they'll sit next to them in church. And flirt with them on Facebook and through text message for the whole year 'till camp rolls around again.
Kids, listen to a camp veteran, cut it out! :P You aren't getting married no matter what you think at the time! (Generally. There are exceptions.) Girls, don't fall for a guy just 'cause he can sweet talk you and he's the cutest guy there. Just 'cause he's a charmer doesn't mean he'd make a good husband. Besides, if you're truly a Christian, the point of being here is to follow Jesus, not to follow other boys. Only he can give you true satisfaction. This may seem like a cliche thing to say, but it's Sooo true!!
2. One of the unspoken rules is "Don't be yourself!!"
Unfortunately, according to lots of kids, being yourself means being uncool. You NEED to have the proper pair of sunglasses. On Sunday, Girls, you better have a new dress and that dress should follow the rules of modesty, but just barely. You still gotta look hot. And on the even sadder side of things, you've got the kids pretending to be Christians, because at camp it's cool.
False. Some of the coolest people there, are the ones that don't look cool. On this, my last, year I've realized that I'm finally comfortable enough with myself that I don't feel like I have to pack every outfit I own. And I'm not even going to bother wearing a cute summer dress. *GASP* But ya know what? It's so freeing! To be yourself is to be free. In fact, when you're not being yourself, your kind of a walking lie. Think about that for a second.
3. The number of signatures you have on your conference folder/t-shirt/whatever shows how popular you are. It doesn't matter if you don't know half the people you have sign your folder, you are still an awesome, popular person...Even if you get weird stuff signed, because they don't know you either.
Also false. One year I tried to do this and these are a few things I saw: "Hey I saw you today," "You did great on the team," (even when you weren't on their team) and "You're cool." It's just awkward. Oh--and one friend signed my folder multiple times so It looked like tons of guys had written their number on my folder. It's really ok if you only have a few close friends. Those few signatures will be far more special than if you have no more space left on your t-shirt, but don't know 90% of the people who signed it.
Unfortunately, I know some kids who would read this and their teenage minds would translate everything into:
Unfortunately, I know some kids who would read this and their teenage minds would translate everything into:
But seriously, the youth conference I go to has always been a blessing to me.
My Top Favorite Things (no particular order):
1. The road trip
When you're stuck in a car with a group of people for 5+ hours, crazy things are bound to happen. Most of the time you get to know people better and build relationships, although there are those people you hope and pray you'll never get stuck in a car with ever again. I've had so many good heartfelt conversations during the car ride to and from the youth conference. That's when you really get to know people for who they really are.
2. The preaching
I always come home feeling refreshed and like I've been nourished over the weekend. Not because we dance and sing, but because the preachers at the conference I go to actually dig deep into God's word. I'm often convicted and find ways where I sin that I never saw before and that's SO GOOD, because then I can see how to become more like Christ!
3. The testimonies
I love at the end where people share their testimonies. Hearing how God works in people's hearts is the BEST. No other words needed!
4. The FOOD!
Seriously. At the conference I go to the food is so darn delicious. We stay on a college campus and for a whole day we get to eat in the cafeteria, which means all kinds of different foods are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I usually stick to traditional breakfast/lunch/dinner foods, but if you want to have waffles for dinner, go for it. If you want to mix all the Sodas and fruit drinks together with chocolate milk, no problem! If you want to build sculptures out of your mashed potatoes, it's not considered rude. If you decide to sit in a baby highchair while eating a delectable slice of pizza (yes, I did do this), WHO CARES? You can even have ice cream for breakfast. NO MOM TO TELL YOU OTHERWISE!!
And we're seriously fed every two hours! we show up and eat in-n-out for dinner. session one. games. snack. sleep. breakfast. prayer. session two. snack. session 3. lunch. games. snack. games. rest. dinner. session 4. snack. talent show. snack....etc. you come home and you've gained 20 pounds!
So to everyone who's going to a christian camp this summer, may God bless you through the preaching/teaching. Go and make many wonderful memories, and don't be stupid. ;)
Since writing this 2 days ago I got some certain feedback that indicated that I may need to clarify that the first half of this post was intended to get people thinking. My intent is not to be judgmental or to speak harshly. :)
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