Kaskaskia Baptist Youth Camp

Kaskaskia Baptist Youth Camp! 

The AM team traveled to Patoka, Illinois during this week to help run a youth camp at Kaskaskia Baptist Camp. The team served as counselors to the youth and were with the you 24/7. The camp had about 40 youth. We split these youth into 3 coed groups in which at least 2 AM team members were leaders. The day would start with the kids waking up and getting ready for the day. We would all go to breakfast and hurry back to the dorms to enjoy some personal devotional time with the Lord. After devo time, we would all walk to the Chapel  and watch a video series which would display difficult and (mostly) common situations and questions that today's youth face in their lives. After watching the videos and doing some fun activities, the 3 groups would split up and go to small groups which would include deep, open discussions about our lives and what God is teaching us through our differences and similarities. Throughout the week, we would also have plenty of game time and enjoyable bonding time with the youth! And who could forget canteen!!?!? Christian students also had the opportunity to share their testimonies of how they came to be in a relationship with the Father. 

Playing the Hunger Games! 

Devotion Time in the Morning! 

One thing that I learned from this hard but amazing week was that you should never assume anything about anyone. Get to know them. We all need God's love.  Some of the kids in my group, I assumed were just punks who didn't care, but in the middle of the week, one student opened up and just poured out his life and what he was going through, and that led another student in our group, who did not speak much, to open up and share her story! It was crazy and we then understood why they do what they do and why they think what they think! God just made it clear to us that they just needed even more love and understanding! WOW! God is always at work, and sometimes, we are so quick to forget it. We just need to get ourselves out of the way and let Him use us in the way He wants to! It's hard and a daily struggle, but He is always there to help us out. I'm not a "youth person", but God still used me because I was obedient to Him! 

 "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30)

Our Small Group! A great group of Youth!!!!