This last week I had the "honor" of taking some girls to camp. I didn't realize that I had signed up for an FCA camp until about two weeks before hand. I asked the girls if they were okay with it, and none of them had an issue. I should have known they wouldn't... it was just what I needed!
I have never been involved in FCA... shame on me for that! When we arrived at camp we got FCA Bibles and I noticed Bible verses around the dorm. I immediately looked at the schedule and noticed that there were several quiet times, "huddle" times, and even chapel every night. Being Negative Nelly I thought to myself that I had made a huge mistake and these girls were going to hate me for bringing them to a camp about church instead of cheerleading.
My mind quickly changed once I walked into the make-do chapel (basement) of the dorm. The praise and worship music, skits, and speaker were absolutely wonderful. I thought to myself that I needed that more than the girls and even if they were disappointed that I could learn from this experience. The first night when we came back to the dorm I heard a few girls say they enjoyed the speaker and the music was good. I was glad that I had not completely struck out!
During quiet time, the girls were told to read their Bibles and it was simply amazing to see these girls spread out across the gym floors reading the Bible! Not one of them looked up, checked to see the time, or fell asleep. Again, I felt a little better about the situation. The second night of chapel was very eye-opening. The message was on forgiveness and while some people may say they forgive...it truly is something that has to be given to God. I could tell that many of my girls had the wheels turning in the brains and so did I. I completely removed my doubts that night as I had several girls want to talk privately about forgiveness, life issues, and the hard choices that teens have to make. As I sat there with these girls, I silently prayed that God would put someone in Katie Britt's life that she could talk to about the things that some girls just don't feel comfortable talking about with their mamas. I was very honest, discussed things that really mattered, and hopefully eased their minds on some of the issues they were dealing with in their lives. It brought me back about 25 years and made me remember the things I used to worry about and how unimportant they are now...but they were huge when I was that age.
The rest of the camp was pretty amazing. I did not have the opportunity to sit with the girls in their huddles and hear everything they had to say, but I did receive a little card that told me three of my girls had rededicated their lives! Yes... I know I was meant to take these girls to this camp. The last night of the camp the speaker said she hoped we would take the way we felt home with us and keep our spirit alive we were feeling that night. My final affirmation that this was right for the girls was when I was standing in a store and a mother came and told me how her daughter had gotten the Bible and shared with her some verses, told every aspect of the camp, and gave detail by detail descriptions of the testimonies presented. Thank you God for giving us the opportunity to bond together not only over cheerleading, but over Your word. It was a great week... and I actually wish we could do it again! :)
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