Registration for camp begins. Bright and early in the morning, I find myself outside of a church with a little table set up, awaiting the arrival of nervous parents, and even more nervous teenagers. Then little by little they start to trickle in. I'm adorned in my khaki shorts, New Generation T-shirt, and my name-tag that says "Aunty Diana". If any of you know me in person, you know that talking and meeting new people is my thing. lol. So, as soon as students start coming, I start trying to make conversation and learn names and all that good stuff. Then the other counselors and I begin to play some warm-up ice breaker activities with the students. This is when my first wave of "umm, God, I dont know how this is gonna turn out" hit me. One of my female campers says to me..."I'm not gonna call you Aunty, because you're too short".
How do I respond to that? Lol. Let's just say that the students initially had A LOT to say about my height...or lack thereof, and this initially hindered them from seeing me as a viable authority. Add to that my high-energy, extroverted personality...and let's just say they thought I was one of their counterparts.
So we load up on the bus and head over to the campsite, which is a couple hours away. The bus ride to camp was filled with loud and awesome Christian music, campers trying to make small talk with each other, and the unknown. After reaching camp, we gave our campers the run-down on camp, and what to expect.
It was here. Camp was actually here....and I wondered if I was prepared, and how God would move.
For the sake of confidentiality, I wont be including specific names or in-depth stories regarding my time at camp, but lets just say GOD WORKED MIRACLES. I am not exaggerating. It went from campers seeming so detached and disconnected during the Bible studies, to people weeping and crying out to God, people talking about hurts that have damaged their identity, people disclosing the abandonment they have felt at the hands of loved ones. It was a complete NIGHT AND DAY difference. The same female camper who told me she wouldn't call me "Aunty" came to me and said that she changed her mind because she sees where I actually am an Aunty, despite my vertical challenges. lol God did a work in the hearts of so many of these campers, and I clearly remember at one point during Day 4, I just went off to a corner and I was completely overwhelmed by the reality of what just happened. The reality of seeing the seemingly impossible, is mind-blowing. Only God could have broken down the walls that many of these students had up, and HE did. Even when I wondered if He would, He did.
The Holy Spirit gave me such a real and tangible love for all these teenagers, I was so overwhelmed. I loved them. Like literally, I LOVED them, and that's just a slight glimpse of how God feels about them.
We literally laughed together, and cried, and sweat in the hot blazing sun, haha. I wouldn't trade one moment. No , not one. Each moment was another stroke of the beautiful artwork that God was creating.
To add icing to the cake, I was able to co-lead the Song and Drama activities during camp. HOW AMAZING is that??? I was able to help teenagers express themselves through the arts. It was soo awesome. Seeing them break out of their " mi haffi bi cool" shells, even if just for a moment.
In breaking me down and having me realize just how limited my human strength was, the Holy Spirit was able to work through me in ways that I wouldn't be able to imagine. I literally cant take credit for what He has done. To think that He took the same personality that I begged him to change last year while I was in Jamaica, and used it to draw people unto Him...is..yeah..mind-blowing.
I cant end this post without also mentioning the amazing bond created between myself and the other counselors. Phew, my co-laborers were so amazing. There's something so special about joining with other believers and working towards a common goal. God strengthened us as a team, and enabled us to encourage, and build each other up. They also gave me many many moments to laugh about.
The very last verse in the book of John says "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
I finally understand that. If I were to recount every occurrence and the splendor of what God did each moment while I was in Jamaica, this post would go on and on. I went to Jamaica for 12 days, and God changed hearts for a lifetime. I cant take any credit for that. He is faithful.
Thanks to all my friends who prayed for me. All of you who donated. All of you who wrote encouraging notes on my fb page, or sent me a text. They were so appreciated and did not go unnoticed. Big thanks to Auntie Nel and Judith who gave me the opportunity to be a counselor.
My encouragement to you all is this: Stay at the feet of Jesus, and He will take you to places you'll never imagine. There is no desire of your heart that is too big for Him to fulfill.No dream too grandiose where His amazing grace cant take you. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Make Him and His glory the desire of your heart, and you'll forever be satisfied.
Eph 3:20 "20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
