Far
from
>>
Y RIVER PHOTO
Summer
CAMP
Distraction
By Jeniffer Bernstein, Sagemont Baptist Church
This summer, I had the privilege to come back to Camp Tejas as a
leader for my church’s 7th grade retreat. This was a very special time for our
church. We usually do high school camp there every year, but this year God had
different plans for us. The opportunity to take a younger class, the 7th graders,
was incredible.
Aric Harding, our worship leader, would open us up with some great
worship. Then, Scott Condict, our youth pastor, got a chance to preach from
the Word. God didn’t wait until the last night of our retreat to move. Our first
night of small group, girls began to open up. I also really enjoyed our cabins at
The Meadows. Our small group’s room was connected to another group’s room,
which made it very easy to have long, late night chats with the girls and see
what they all had to say about
camp and the message for
the night. It was an overwhelming joy to be a part of
God’s will for these girls’ lives.
Each morning, we would have
a devotional time where Scott
would give us a passage and
pose pretty basic questions so that the students could individually go deeper
and challenge themselves to learn more. My small group told me that they loved
this idea. It was the foundation for how they could continue their quiet times
and stay in the Word once they got home. By the end of our week, the students
did not want to leave; they loved it. Camp Tejas is a great place to get away, get
into God’s Word, and have a great time with fellow believers and friends.
I have been to Tejas every summer since my 8th grade year. As I’m
going off to college this fall, it’s awesome to see the students’ faith become
their own, as mine did. Tejas is a great place to just get away from the everyday
things, like our usual group of friends, our phones, and our iPods. Getting away
from those distractions helps us focus on God and give Him our full attention.
Being a leader at Tejas this summer was awesome. God has challenged me to
build relationships with the younger class within our church and has shown me
that leadership is a part of glorifying Him. I look forward to what God has in store
for my life and the lives of the students who attended the 7th grade retreat at
Camp Tejas.
“Camp Tejas is a great
place to get away, get
into God’s word, and have
a great time with fellow
believers and friends.”
camp tejas
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11/8/10 12:24:45 PM