Christian camp in Austria is so different from any camp I've been to in America. For starters, we're usually in some farmer's field, and we set up our own tents, build our own kitchen in the forest, find a spring to tap water from, chop our own firewood, and dig our own outhouses. This year, we had it a little cushy because there were toilets and showers nearby that we were allowed to use. Granted, the water was usually cold, but hey, I actually showered at this camp!
our homemade oven
Cooking over our homemade stove with "dining room" in the background
We were a conglomeration of teens (and leaders) from the Baptist Church, the Calvary Chapel Church (both in Spittal), and 1/3 outsiders, meaning they'd been invited by a friend and had no previous church experience. We spent a lot of time building the camp and doing the daily duties of cooking, gathering water, chopping firewood, etc, plus the regular camp things such as Capture the Flag, roasting s'mores, and playing with electric fences (teenagers!).
broken bridge when we got there
On Wednesday, we packed up our sleeping bags, some clothes, and a bunch of tarps, and we went on a 2-day hike. Wow! On the first day, the complaining really got to me. Of course, the kids' packs were very heavy, and for some of them, hiking for 5 hours was quite the new feat. However, I was more than ready to throw in the towel by the time we got to our overnight spot. The kids all fell to the ground, some in tears, and refused to move. So, we girls cooked them dinner while the guy leaders set up all the tarps, collected firewood, and found fresh water, and then we tucked them all into their sleeping bags. Our evening leader meeting found us all on the verge of tears and in prayer, and I can't begin to describe how beautifully God worked. The kids truly enjoyed the sleeping outside and woke up on Thursday morning entirely new kids. The hike back down was so much more enjoyable, and the hike marked the turning point of the week between complaints and great attitudes. I think we experienced a spiritual victory that night!
Johannes with the map and compass; the kids took turns leading us.
Lovely sight on Thursday morning: everyone still sleeping under their tarps.
The most important facet of the week were the spiritual messages. Each day was devoted to a different topic, e.g. How to deal with disappointments, Building healthy friendships, Sexuality and love, Living with one's parents, etc. The disappointment day was especially hilarious because I drove off in a car and came back with McDonald's sacks. However, when they opened them up, they found only an apple and a piece of hard bread. (Don't worry, we fed them real dinner later.) I was also in charge of a tent of four girls, two of whom were non-believers. They were so much fun and asked some really good questions. If you'd like to pray, pray especially for Marie and Julia who were very open to having God in their lives, but no decisions were made this week (that I know of).
Thanks for reading!
1 comment:
Now THAT is camp!
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