GO! Camp Update #2

It's late (12:27am to be exact)...I'm tired...but my mind is racing and my heart is full after an amazing Tuesday at GO! Camp. I went into this morning so overwhelmed about the first full day of camp, but Tuesday delivered in so many big ways!  

I want to make something clear...One of the many things I love about GO! Camp is that you NEVER know what's going to happen about GO! Camp. To often, we take a camp shaped cookie cutter and lay it over a week. Every day looks the same. Every speaker is from the same mold. And, just like cookies, camps can become stale. 

That's not GO! Camp.

Every day is a new experience! Every day pushes you to draw nearer to God and look for every conceivable way to magnify him in every decision you make and every action you take. And it's all done with some incredible innovative and well thought out lessons and activities. 

Tuesday was AWESOME! My friend Katelyn tweeted this...I concur! 

Tuesday Morning (after the great morning show featuring James, Matt and a Slang Spelling Bee), we were blessed to hear from Brian Preston. 

Brian saw a need...the need to help the homeless that lived around him...specifically homeless carpenters. He saw the need, and he found a God-given solution. He started a company called Laman Luther(Click the name for more information). Laman Luther puts tools in the hands of the homeless, and inspires them to create some of the most beautiful furniture in the world. 

Brian challenged the teens to "Start Building Now!" What a blessing to have him on campus with us.

Austin Thomas, a teenager from James Lane's Youth Ministry at Willow Avenue also was able to share his journey with the "Give Love" project. Austin started selling t-shirts a few months ago. For every shirt sold, he gifted a shirt and a new Bible to someone in need around the world. In a short time, his shirts will be in the hands of those in need in the Philippines, Mexico, and Moore, Oklahoma. The GO! Campers helped his mission by buying some "Give Love" shirts. 

The Highlight for most on Tuesday was not a new project. It has become a GO! Camp staple! The team from FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN joined us again this year to pack meals for those in need in Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and Africa. There is no better example of what people can do "together" than this food packing project that requires everyone involved to find a place and work as a team to accomplish a massive goal! (Remember last year...we worked to help raise money to make this happen...so much was given last year...we were able to cover the project this year!!!)

We will be packing food for two days...Last year we packed over 133,000 meals. This year...IN THE FIRST DAY...we are well over half way to shattering that total! (DJ Randall kept the teens going by using his God given talents!) I can't wait to hear the total on Wednesday! 

When the teens weren't packing meals for Feed My Starving Children. They had the opportunity to spend some time on a couple other projects. To set the stage for a meal together (Gano had the table linens out Tuesday night and conversation cards on each table!), The campers actually helped prepare the meals together.

They also had the opportunity to spend some time in prayer by passing by the GO! Camp prayer wall. The wall featured a great work in each of the 50 states. It reminded me of a couple things. First...GOD and His Church are much much bigger than Tennessee! Second...it's amazing what people can do when they work together and refuse to let obstacles stand in the way! A lot of ladies worked very hard to make this prayer walk happen. It was awesome!

One Tuesday Night...Coach Jason Shelton, the FHU Basketball Coach who has shared many incredible moments with the students and community in the gymnasium that GO! Camp is being held in, shared a great moment with GO! Camp. He challenged the campers to work as a team...and "Control Your Attitude and Control Your Effort". It was great to close an amazing day in worship to our God who made it all possible.

To close the evening, the campers were treated with ice cream and a concert (The Pine Hill Haints) in front of the sports center. We also had a camp fire area set up (complete with the crickets that Reed Henson purchased and placed in the bushes...just to give it that camp fire feel!) so the campers could visit and share together.

On a personal, Jefferson Avenue Youth, note...I'm thankful that I got to spend a few minutes at the end of the night circled up in prayer with the youth group. It was awesome to hear about what they have loved about the week so far and pray about the rest of the week to come.

What a great day!

I love my job!

I love this camp!

WE ARE BLESSED!