A Recap of Sorts: The Beauty in the Body of Christ

This past week, I had the opportunity and privilege to serve as a counselor alongside my mom at Student Life Camp with students from our church. It was an incredible week to spend teaching, encouraging and growing with them. Each evening, there was a youth pastors meeting held that I attended since I was the fill in for the week. During these we would share prayer requests and praises from our groups for the week and it was really cool to see how God worked in the lives of all present and how we as followers to gather together to aide one anothers needs whether with vehicles and coolers or spiritual needs amongst our students. At our last meeting they left us with this question to share, "How would you describe camp in one word?" Thinking on this and pondering through the week, I came with unity. Unity as the body of Christ is what stood out amongst Student Life 2014 and it was beautiful.

It was beautiful to see the unity in the Student Life staff. They served in whatever ways possible to aide us and to help the students. From the time they pour in week in and week out I am extremely thankful that they continue to pour in all they have in hopes to reach these students for the gospel. It was incredible to see how the Lord worked through them from the rec games and testimonies and devotions shared there to the skits they performed in hopes to have the students begin to find their identity in Christ.

It was a great blessing to have Casey Darnell leading worship and having David Nasser as the camp pastor for the week. They stayed true to God's Word and proclaimed Christ in every aspect.  Casey was clear in making our worship's sole purpose to proclaim God's glory and bring him praise while David presented how our identities our found in how we answer the question and theme for the week, "Who Do You Say I Am?" based off of Mark 8:29 as well as give practical scriptural reference of how to come back from camp still rooted and grounded in what we've learned and continue to pursue Christ.

It was beautiful to see how our group grew in God's Word and together as a community. I'm not with them much throughout the year because I'm away at school but I could see a huge difference from last year to this year in how they've grown with God and how some have grown in leadership pointing the others to Christ. They were encouraging one another daily and eager to learn all they could from our family group times and the main sessions of the week. They began to share and bear one anothers burdens by actively pursuing ways they could be praying for one another. I was amazed and in awe of how God was working in their lives and how he was doing immeasurably more than we can imagine based in Ephesians 3:20-21.

I saw the beauty of the body of Christ come together this week even at young ages and it was an amazing thing to witness. As we aided them, they aided me in showing how firm they were standing in their faith and the realizations they had of pursuing what we're called to do in making disciples wherever we are and live out our faith so Christ may be glorified. My prayer is that we may continue to find our identity in Christ and our answer to who we say he is is that he is our savior and redeemer. The one who bore all so that we may have an eternity with him. The one who took on all sin and gave us unconditional love and grace that we don't deserve but because of this love he gave it to us anyways. So as we close out this week, I challenge you in the same way we were in answering this question, "Who Do You Say I Am?"

Following are a few snapshots from the week from rec time to worship to the #secretselfies taken throughout: