I feel a little weird about the title of this post, if not only because I don't think we should be allowed to have them in the first half of the summer. But I'm no meteorologist... If there is anything these ridiculous temperatures have done, other than scorch our lawns, it has driven us to the lake to escape the dense never-seen-A/C air of everywhere I live, work, and drive. I think I've been to the beach more times this summer already than probably the last 3 combined. Living in a small town means that often everyone has the same idea, which for us means huge ministry opportunities.
Over the past few weeks, we've taken kids hiking on the mountain, to the beach, and met up with them at the skate park, pier, and lots of other places around Collingwood. What an incredible way to reconnect with our youth after 3 weeks away for training and holidays. Being able to meet up with them, planned or informally, during these times allows us to remind them how much we care for them and how much we enjoy being in their presence. We talk a lot about the sense of family and community, and how we seek to build positive memories with our youth, and these connecting points that we all share together.
We have about 8 youth that we see nearly every day of the week. It's amazing how our relationship with them grows when it moves beyond our drop-in or high school connections to really living our lives together. We spend lots and lots of face time with our youth, and that is an incredible privilege. We find out what is going on in their lives. We support them as they need to find housing, jobs, or reconciliation with family and friends. But far more important, we pray for them, and with them, and we share the hope of Christ with them, in hopes that they receive God's strength to persevere for even the next minute.
Those type of moments don't typically happen in the midst of a busy drop-in program (although they do), or a quick stop to chat on the sidewalk. They happen when we spend hours and hours growing closer together and sharing in this wonderful, weird community.
In a couple of weeks, we will take a group of our youth to CampFire. My goal this year is to have 10. I'll leave that in God's hands, but we know that regardless of who comes, they will become a part of our wider Youth For Christ family. They will join the mix of crazy laughter, poignant stories, and sometimes intense self-reflection. And through it all will be a mix of loving staff and new friends who welcome them, no matter what is going on in their life, and who will become a part of that youth's summer story. The dog days of summer are so much easier when we can live them together. We bear the humidity a little more gracefully, splash each other in the cool water, and look forward to our days spent together. And that is why I love this time of year.
So, a week ago we returned, relatively unscathed, from Campfire. It was a fantastic week, if not a bit of a strange one. We were headed towards Goderich not even a day after a tornado devastated the town.
This was always in the back of our minds, as we went through our week running the camp program that I described in my last post. Then Wednesday the thunderstorm warnings came. Nothing really happened. But then the tornado warnings came. Again. This town ripped apart by a tornado was facing the prospect of more volatile weather not even a week later. Our kids were scared. Some of them terrified. They'd all seen the news and pictures.
Leaders herded kids into shelter, then a few of us huddled around radios to keep up with the latest warnings (evidently, tornado warning music is actually pretty good. Aside from my concern that the announcers weren't saying anything, probably because they too were hunkered down in the soundproof padded rooms, they did pick a good playlist. And I digress). Leader's and kid's cell phones were ringing off the hook as concerned parents texted and called after watching the Weather Network. The guys were scared, but tried not to show it. It was written all over their faces. The girls were much harder. They were visibly scared and shaken. Some were crying. So, huddled in the only shelter we could find, we did what any sane human being would do: we sang Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of our lungs, complete with guitar solos. But as the song ended, that awkward tension of not knowing what's going on began to take over again.
By now, the sky looked wicked, and was divided in two: tornado clouds and blue sky. We had no rain, no hail, and the wind was there, but not gale force. Some of us shared Scripture, reminding the girls that God was in control of the weather. At one point as I walked in to check on the girls after listening to another weather bulletin they were all lined up in a massage train.
I don't think I could have predicted what happened next. The next time I returned to look in on them, one of the leaders shushed me as I walked in. We went outside and she told me what was going on. The girls had rallied around those who were very shaken by what was going on. At one point, as I'm sure they began talking about anything to not think about the weather, one of the girls shared something that was going on in her life. One of the girls, asked if she could pray for her. Within minutes, prayer was bouncing through the washroom, from girl to girl, with no leaders leading or piping in. I wasn't in the room, so I hope I'm giving this story justice. But God's peace showed up. Not long after, the warnings were lifted and the funnel clouds were gone. After a spectacular evening program, I sat out with a few of my colleagues and we watched the stars in the now clear sky. And we saw a shooting star so big that I've only seen a handful in my life. God was with us.
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To read about The Salvation Army's relief efforts in Goderich, go here.
We're just a couple of weeks away from Campfire, our final trip of the summer. [Note: I am disappointed to be writing "final" and "summer" in the same sentence. I must make the most of the weeks I have left]. I look forward to this trip every year, since it's a chance to take our youth out of their usual setting, and to do something different with them. We also get to see youth that we see once a year at Campfire, and it is a great time to catch up with them.
Campfire is a pretty special setting, it's not really anything to do with the physical setting, but more with the environment and feel that the youth and leaders bring to it. For some kids, it's the rare chance to get out of Collingwood. For others, its reconnecting with friends they made at Campfire last year. Others are there for a completely new experience, meeting new people, trying new things, and experiencing the Youth For Christ family in action. Campfire is a crazy place, with people playing goofy improv games at the campfire, or plotting ways to prank their friends. It can also be a really meaningful time, where tent conversations or afternoons spend on the beach can lead to discussions that leave a profound impact on both youth and leaders alike.
This year, we are excited for the youth that we have at Campfire. We are praying that sponsorships come through and that they follow through with their registrations. We know that God has got exciting things in store for the youth who are attending, especially as we enter into lots of discussions about life and Jesus. Campfire is a chance where we can just be together, enjoying nature and each other, and through that, God is present in a very real way.
