Young Lives Camp!

Pure Joy

Joy: a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.

Do you consider ‘pure joy’ as you look in the face of 15-year-old pregnant teen or mother?  Let’s be honest, joy is not the first thing we think about in these situations, but it is what God instructs us to do.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…  James 1:2

We were all witnesses to pure joy at Young Lives camp this year and continue to be amazed by God’s workmanship as he brought together an unexpected group of people to live, play, eat, fellowship and worship together in His name.

The people (servants all, doing God’s work)

Staffers - who make it happen, work tirelessly to raise money, organize, prepare teachings, skits, games & plan for months before we all show up for 3 days of camp

Work crew - appropriately named.  Teen workers, cooks and childcare workers that serve God by serving us.  They work hard behind the scenes day and night to make it all look easy & fun.

Camp Doctor & Nurse – professionals who volunteer their time & make it possible for us to have campers on the property & are prepared for any emergency situation.

Mentor Moms & college YL leaders - who have the privilege of spending time with the teen moms & babies, attending club, having lunch & doing life through out the year

Campers - teen moms or soon to be moms and their babies/toddlers

Why take time in this blog to explain ‘the people’?  Because ‘the people’ is an important strength of this Young Lives ministry. It’s easy to get groups of people together that share a season of life, common work or social group, but the real miracle happens when you mix it up and let God’s work begin.  For a time it’s awkward, uncomfortable & takes a real effort when God calls his people to ‘do life’ together out of our comfort zone.

This is the Joy that happens:

·      Leaders that plan & pull off a ‘spa time’ for the girls - an hour & a half of pure pampering, candlelight, face masks, washing of hands & feet, nails done & silent prayers offered up to the Lord for these young lives and the young lives they are holding close.

·      Teenage boys carrying babies in their playpens at 10pm - oooing & ahhhing at those cute babies as they try to keep them asleep.

·      Leaders making fools of themselves - funny hair & costumes just for our entertainment, to make us laugh together & share the gospel through humor.

·      Moms, campers & leaders getting wet, messy – everyone doing silly things all in the name of a game and not even caring how they look or who’s looking.

·      Teen moms pulling together - borrowing clothes & dressing each other for a special dinner.

·      Cooks doing what they do – making amazing meals, baking cookies late at night, after a long day of meal preparation to share with us before bed.

·      Teens caring for other teens babies – allowing the mothers to have a little fun camp time without their kids, maybe they have even been in class together at school or passed each other in the hall (don’t tell me that doesn’t change someone’s opinion or response to the other).

·      Campers being overwhelmed by love – seeing and responding to the love & care that is being showered on them

·       Holding a baby you don’t know – just so mom can take a shower and clean up.  You receiving the real blessing.

·      Seeing a 17 year old soothe a baby in the middle of the night - gently cooing and rocking an upset baby with love & gentleness that only comes with the strength of Jesus dwelling in them.

·      Mentor moms pouring themselves into young moms - just as had been done to them from their mentor through the Young Lives program only a few years earlier.

·      Napping with a sleeping toddler in your arms - in the midst of a chaotic, busy room of girls and babies.

·      A baby’s first shower.

·      Moms exchanging stories – funny stories about kids & sharing child rearing advice.

·      Girls sharing their struggles - losing friends during their pregnancies, defensive walls falling as they share their trials and we share our own trails with them.

·      Mentor Moms being role models – caring for their own babies while at camp and making sacrifices to leave their family for a few days as they serve the Lord and love on others.

·      Prayers, prayers, prayers - offered up for years, months, and days. Offered up during cabin time on our behalf from the hearts and minds and spirits of young servants.

·      A mentor mom (me) being overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness - watching my own kids serve on the work crew and love on others.

·      Changed lives - mine included

Join us as we ‘consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’

James 1: 2-4

Kelly Foster, Mentor Mom

July, 2012

Windy Gap Trip Is Back!

Hey, everyone, it's Lauren Southard, a Young Life leader at Fayetteville High School! When I was asked to write the blog post about the high school team’s trip to Windy Gap,  I suddenly felt at a loss for words. How was I going to be able to fully paint the picture of our beautiful, spirit-filled week? Pardon me, while I type into words an indescribable week into a butchered description of, “The best week of your life!”

First off, I’ve been a camper. I’ve done work week, work crew, summer staff, and polar bear weekend. I had done everything except lead a group of girls at camp. I would be lying if I said it was easy. And to be honest, I found myself saying that phrase a lot while at camp. It’s not easy.

The cabin of girls I got to love were mostly underclassmen, ranging from 14-16 year old teenage girls. Many of them said they believed in Christ and I immediately thought, “This shouldn’t be too hard.” The Lord gracefully slapped me in the face Tuesday, not even 3 days in. We, as a cabin, got to explore our darkest corners. Our deepest hurts and secrets were revealed. I remember specifically sitting there with two girls buried in my shoulders sobbing, while I quietly asked the Lord, “Why?” Why is this world so harsh? Why is life so hard? Why do these precious girls have to endure this pain?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry. I was really angry. I sat in a room with 11 other girls who all had to suffer issues way above their age level. It seemed so unfair. As I sat there thinking about how furious I was,  I could also feel a peace come over me. The Lord is the only one who could be behind that. It was like he was whispering, “I know.” He knows the hurt. He knows the pain. He feels it too. It’s an easy concept to understand, but when you’re blinded by anger and tears, it’s hard to grasp. It was as if He was in the room with us, crying and holding us close.

It took me a few days to realize the intimacy of that cabin time. The trust that was developed was incredible. We knew each other’s darkest secrets, but we still loved each other. What a beautiful display of Christ’s love! Looking back, I’m sure we were all unaware of the bond developing. But I can’t thank the Lord enough for it.

A passage another leader and I resonated on during camp was Isaiah 61:1-3:

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

 Camp is all about binding up the broken hearted. We, as leaders, are sent to proclaim the good news to these high schoolers. That’s the easy part; visiting ‘dark corners’ is the hard part. We do not forget the part where we are called to “bind up the brokenhearted.” That’s not to say we’re saviors, because we aren’t. But we do know the Savior. And we want nothing more than for our high school friends to find freedom from those ‘dark corners.’

I can’t even count the number of times I found myself saying, “It’s not easy” to one of my high school friends. Life is hard. Following Christ is hard sometimes. Faith is hard. But the joy the Lord gives to us is unexplainable. Windy Gap put that joy on display. Sure, we have dark corners, but how hard would those dark corners be if we didn’t have each other to cry on? I found myself thanking the Lord for those ‘dark corners’ by the end of the week. Thanking him that we had an excuse to NEED him, and WANT him. Without my dark corners, I probably wouldn’t have been in that room. I wouldn’t have been a shoulder to cry on for my sweet high school friends.

My first time leading experience wasn’t easy. But it was SO worth it.

Windy Gap

Today is Day 4 at Windy Gap! Our campers and leaders are having a blast! Please continue to keep them, along with the work crew, summer staff, and assign team in your prayers. Pray for transformed hearts and lives. To read more about camp and the work God is doing so far, go to Gregg Stutts' blog, I Believe God. He is an adult guest at Windy Gap this week.

Spiritual Warfare

Hey, guys, it's Amy again!

I have two brothers-in-law, one, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, is currently in Afghanistan, and the other, an Army Ranger, will deploy shortly. I won't even try to paint a picture of the things they see or hear or feel because I would not be able to do it justice. For them, there is no mistaking that they wake up every morning in the middle of a war. Most of us will never experience that. I have the utmost respect for my brothers and other men and women serving our country. But there's another war, one that we are all a part of.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

You have an enemy who hates you. Very much. And he has a goal for your life. He wants to steal from you, kill you, and destroy you. (John 10:10)

When we think of Satan, we think of a little evil red devil with horns and a pitch fork. But he used to be absolutely beautiful. He was a beautiful angel who grew prideful and rebelled against God. God then cast him out of Heaven and condemned him. Satan is angry with God. He hates God.

And he hates you. He hates you. And he wants to destroy you.

He lies to you. He accuses you. He deceives you, tempts you, and schemes against you. He tells you you'll never be good enough; that you're just a disappointment; that no could ever love you or forgive you or want you, not after what you've done. Or he tells you that if you just had that one thing or that one person then you would be happy.

You may be asking, "Why? What have I done to him to make him hate me so much?" The answer is quite simple, really. He hates you because he hates God. And God loves you. He wants to get back at God by hurting the ones He loves.

I said earlier that we were all in a war. But instead of a physical one like my brothers experience, this one is in your mind. And it's for your heart. If God created you to live in friendship with Him, then that is what Satan wants to thwart. He wants to prevent you from experiencing all that God has to share with you. He will do whatever it takes to keep you from pursuing a relationship with Christ. He will make the pleasures of this broken world seem like the point of life. Satan isn't stupid. He's been around for years and he has studied the human race. You're really not so different from someone else. He's seen your weaknesses before and he knows exactly where to target you where it will hurt the most. He knows where to attack so that it will be the most effective in keeping you wrapped up in anything and everything but God. It could come in the form of money or fame or another person. He can attack in anyway because he controls this world system. Things like the media or education or government are under his influence and he'll use them to manipulate you. I'm not saying everything or everyone in media, education, or government is bad. But Satan does have influence there.

God is sovereign and ultimately in control. Other creations in this world, like mountains or sunsets or stars, shout who He is. He is good. He loves you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants to be friends with you. One day, God will restore things to his original design (Genesis 1-2, Revelation 21-22). But we don't live there yet.

Both God and Satan are pursuing you. But it is your decision. If our identity is in Christ, then we know to "set our minds on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4). We can recognize a lie for what it is, take it captive, and focus on Truth instead (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:1-2

We're in the middle of a war literally between good and evil. And you're the prize.

Dylan's Story

We'd love to share with you all one of our high school friend's story! Our Wyldlife and Young Life leaders have walked with Dylan over the last four years, and we are excited to continue walking with Dylan through Young Life College. Here is part of his testimony:

Young Life has been an amazing part of my life. I come from your typical broken kind of home, I grew up never knowing my dad, my mom was a bit of an alcoholic, and I didn't see my family a lot either. So when I first became a part of Young Life it was kind of more of a haven at first. But through the leaders and friends that I made I came to know God.

And with that it gave me the confidence to fix a lot of the problems I couldn't before. So, I can now gladly say that my mom's been sober for almost two years, and although at times it's still a bit of a challenge, our relationship has improved by leaps and bounds. And now I've been visiting my grandparents basically every other weekend. And I can't say enough about the friends I've made, both because of God and Young Life.

Dylan's story points us all to truth--to the One who wants "to give us the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). 

We are so thankful God allows us to be a part of Dylan and so many others' stories in Fayetteville and Springdale! 

The Holy Spirit

Last week at Taco Tuesday, we talked about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, one part of the Holy Trinity, is just as much God as the Father and the Son are. Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." He is a person. He has a will and He has emotions.

Ever since I was little, my dad has hammered into my head to make logical decisions, not emotional ones. Now... Any one of my friends will tell you that I'm pretty rash. I'm not a planner and I don't really care about details. I tend to do things on a whim and I just wing it. Needless to say, I'm not the most logical person in the world. In my head, I think those logical rules don't, or shouldn't, apply to me and I'm going to be fine ignoring them. Obviously, I'm wrong every time, but, thankfully, I have the God of the universe living inside me to, if I let Him, guide my steps. He is loving and He is joyful. He is peaceful, patient, kind, and good. He is faithful and gentle and self-controlled. On my own, I am not capable of producing those character traits. On my own, I am irrational and illogical. I'm impatient and bitter. But when I am abiding and presenting myself to Him, I am saying, "Holy Spirit, share yourself with me." And He does.

I've grown up in the church and I've grown up as a Young Life kid and, really, not until last summer when I went through a discipleship program in Branson, MO, did I begin to understand the Holy Spirit and His role in my life. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is my Counselor. And He "dwells in me richly." (Colossians 3:16)

After Jesus died and was resurrected, and before he ascended back into Heaven, He said that it was for our benefit that He go away and the Holy Spirit come. Why? Because the life God calls us to is a life of faith. It's not always comfortable or easy or secure. In fact, He promises it's going to be hard. But He doesn't ask us to do it alone. He gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide, counsel, teach, remind, and reveal to us Truth (John 14:15-31). The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus (John 15:26-27).  He convicts us (John 16:5-11). He helps us in our weakness and prays for us (Romans 8:26-27). He pours out God's love in us (Romans 5:1-5). He gives us power to serve (Acts 1:1-8). He manifests gifts in us (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). He produces His character in us (Galatians 5:22-25).

I'm only 19 years old and I know that God has barely scratched the surface in revealing Himself to me. The Holy Spirit seems like a pretty neat guy and I'm excited to see what adventures He has for me.

Amy

Wilderness Crew Back in Town!

Saturday night, we ("we" meaning two leaders including myself and 4 high school students from Northwest Arkansas) pulled back in to Fayetteville after a week-long backpacking excursion through the Rocky Mountains. The trip, known as "Wilderness," is a branch of Young Life camping that takes groups of students, along with trained wilderness guides, backpacking throughout the San Juan mountains in the Rio Grande National Park just outside of Creede, Colorado.

Although I had heard from a handful of friends who had done the trip before how wonderful the experience is, I was still uncertain on what to expect, how to adequately prepare myself and the other, etc. After an over-night van ride and a few hours of being lost on back roads, we pulled into Wilderness Ranch (Young Life property where the backpacking trips leave from), greeted by the ecstatic Summer Staff and team of guides that were to take us out on our excursion.

After learning how to pack a 50 lb. pack to live out of for a week, we had a country-style lunch and a standard Young Life Club with the other five groups, like us, anxiously awaiting their departure.

Then we loaded up a van that took us to the trail head and hit the trail. The trip consisted of 4 full days and 2 half days out on the trail led by our wonderfully energetic guides, Tony and Travis.

The days that followed were some of the toughest I'd ever faced. Not only had the other guys and me never done any type of backpacking to this extent, but the altitude in Colorado is, to say the least, slightly higher than in Fayetteville, Arkanasas.

We learned how to set up and take down a communty-style camp site. Every meal was shared as we sat in a circle in our Crazy Creek Chairs (Crazy Creek Inc. is not an official sponsor of this blog post). We hiked, hiked, hiked, and hiked until our glutes and quads would shake, and then we'd hike some more. And amidst all of the fatigue, we were all able to share of life stories. Everyone was able to share the nitty-gritty of their own lives, and thus, experience the transforming and unconditional power of the Lord in a new way. We were able to have our own alone time with God every day, and were able to share what God had shown us when we met as a group.

Besides boring you with moment-by-moment details of every day, it would be a sure failure if I were to try to explain a Wilderness trip's impact on a life. The combination of exhaustion, community, absence of anything gadgety or electrical, feeling small as the dangerous wonder of the Rocky Mountains engulfs you, and having time alone to be vulnerable with God is an experience that can only be fully understood in those that have actually experienced it. On a trip like this, one has time to come face to face with struggles and insecurities while being with God, away from all of the other things in life that beg and scream for our attention, and learn how the God who is bigger than the mountains that surround us wants to relate intimately with us. It's a unique experience. On the last night, most of us slept outside of our tent under the blanket of stars that filled the Colorado sky. Once again, feeling small, yet more significant and loved than every star in the universe.

After 6 days on the trail, we met our pick-up van that took us back to the ranch. We talked about what we took from our experience and what we are leaving behind.

We all experienced God in a new way.

We then showered for the first time in a week, and ended the week with a hot meal a Young Life Club, and ice cold IBC root beers.

Last Saturday night, we pulled back into Fayetteville exhausted, yet transformed, with a few more chest hairs to prove it.

Signing off with love,

Carlyle Aguren