"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Isaiah 55:8-11
The Western United States Family Camp
by Elisa Reyes-Slack
As I turn the pages of The Arise Shine, I see church camps taking place all over the world. There is something amazing about church camp. The worship, the praise, the morning devotions, being fed from the Word, and let's not forget, food from the kitchen. There is something to be said about the fellowship and laughter, along with the tears of joy as we share our time in the Lord. These are all a part of the church camp experience. To the world, these wonderful attributes are STRANGE. Worship, praise, and joy are THINGS they cannot fathom experiencing. God has made his love available to all, and camp is a great place to experience the fantastic and "Stranger Things" of God.
This year's camp theme was "Stranger Things." By definition, "Stranger Things" are things that we may not understand or be familiar with. God created everything on this planet to have a purpose and work according to His plan. The cycle of water may seem strange, but is vitally necessary for the continuation of the world around us. From the unfathomable greatness of the universe to the tiniest microscopic molecules, God formed His creation in beauty. But to be perfectly honest, some things are just strange. Many, through science, have tried to explain away God, but when looking at what He has created, how can anyone deny that God doesn't exist and is genuinely Awesome?
The West Region Family Camp was blessed to have Bishop Cary Ryan, World Mission Coordinator, as the Senior Camp Evangelist and Jill Ryan, General VLB Coordinator, as the Junior Camp Evangelist. Bishop Ryan spoke about our mindset and the power of our choices. What are we feeding our minds? With the assistance of a few visual aids, one being a magnet and magnetic putty, he demonstrated the constant pull of sin on our lives. He also showed that we all had sin in our lives before Christ. Because Christ is the light, the darkness of sin cannot remain. When we choose to walk away from the Lord, sin will return.
The song "Our God is an Awesome God" was a song which was sung in our Junior Camp services. Have you taken the time to realize how AWESOME HE truly is? Our junior campers learned of God's wonder and awe in His perfect creation from the glass rock beaches in California, to rocks that sing in Montana, and even the flowers in their own gardens. They learned of the importance of friendship and that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. The greatest of all, our Lord and Savior, knows our name! He knew us before we were born, who we are now, and who we will be, and He LOVES US!
The Spirit of God's love was truly felt throughout our worship services in both senior and junior camps. We felt His love throughout our worship and our fellowship as we gathered together in His name. But God’s presence wasn’t just in our services; He was with us during our recreational water games, baseball games, late-night talks, and singing around the fire pit. This year's camp was truly full of God’s goodness, and blessings.
The North Central United States Youth Camp
by Donte Cosey
The North Central region began their annual Youth Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconsin on May 31st, 2019. We had a total of 19 people in attendance. We were blessed to have Randy and Denise Bearden, Southeast Regional Youth Camp Coordinators, as well as their sons, Matthew and Lucas, join us from Alabama this year.
Randy Bearden, Jr. was our guest evangelist. He taught us about the bondage of sin by having a replica of a jail cell with tall bars on display. This visual helped the campers understand that sin has us in bondage, much like a jail cell where you cannot get out by your means. However, the door of the cell was opened by Jesus when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. By this glorious event, we have a choice to stay in the cell or walk through the open door by faith and receive our freedom.
Pastor Shilia Hale instructed the senior classes with the ABC's of Salvation, Sanctification, and The Holy Ghost. The campers went home with a new word on their lips, "Ruakh," meaning the breath of God, which gives us life. We were also blessed to have Denise Bearden teach our junior campers about the need to have our sins and transgressions blotted out. She demonstrated this is through several activities and crafts. This year’s camp was also packed with fun activities such as archery, horseback riding, and games.
The Southeast United States Youth Camp
by Aaron Tuttle
We were so blessed to have spent a wonderful week in McMinnville, Tennessee for the Southeast Regional Youth Camp. Indeed, God proved to us that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts in this camp. The Holy Ghost was with us throughout the week, and you could see the change His Spirit was making in the lives of the young people at the camp.
We started off each day right with morning devotion. Every day the children would be surprised as to who would be leading the devotion for the day. We even got to hear from of the North Central Youth Camp Coordinator, Kristi Cosey. The daily topics were "Creation," "The Fall," "Bethlehem," "The Crucifixion," and "Maintaining Your Relationship with Christ." We had theme classes each day taught by Bethany Cooper, Jessie Vee Cordeau, and Denise Bearden. The classes were full of laughs, serious discussions, and group prayer. Praise God for all the seeds that were planted!
Joann Dixon led music class, which was not only a time of worship, but another opportunity to get our young people into the Word of God. Danielle Wamsley was in charge of fun time and recreation. What a fun time of fellowship and an excellent chance for our campers to burn some energy. Our activities ranged from Wiffle Ball to water sliding. The Church of God in the southeastern United States knows how to have a good time.
We ended our day’s activities with the most important of things—cabin devotions, led by the counselors and evening services led by our General Evangelism Coordinator, Brandon Hale. I thank God that Brother Hale allowed himself to be used of the Holy Ghost to minister to the young people. He further expounded on the daily themes and helped the campers to understand the amazing plan of God to lead us to Him through our own volition by way of His Son.
On the last night, we all stood together in a circle holding hands while praying one for another. You could tell that the campers didn't want camp to end. I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to work in youth camp, and I hope to see you there next year.
