PYV North Camp 2018 - Day 2

There was a cool breeze blowing this morning when we came out of our dorms. It was much colder at the end of the day.

In worship today we did what you are probably doing at your church too. We sang songs of praise to our Lord Jesus, we were encouraged by the testimony of one of our leaders, we heard the Scriptures read and then heard those passages applied. Vinesy is preaching from Proverbs on the topic of wisdom, and here we are being encouraged to seek wisdom. Today we were reminded of the reality of consequences that come from foolishness. Lord, help us to be wise in what we do.

During morning tea the group here for training left for their day of learning. I'll say more about this group in a separate post.

The study today was about our comparing the joy that comes from a good action and the joy that comes from a bad action, which might sound odd at first, but you probably know what we mean. The consequences of negative emotions which are uncontrolled is something that will rob us of any joy. These are good lessons for teenagers to learn.

Quiet time is always interesting. It's good to see people sitting quietly reading the Bible and considering what this passage means. Today was looking at the letter of James, gaining wisdom from what God has said and then putting that wisdom into practice.

Fish and chips for lunch today was great! So much food.

The afternoon activity was a treasure hunt. Teams were given a series of clues which would lead to a picture. The full list of pictures and clues would lead to . . . well I don't actually know what it would lead to. The two people who are helping me write this were in teams that didn't finish the treasure hunt. They tell me the clues were very hard. But it was a good walk around the campsite.

During free time in the afternoon, there was the opportunity to gather for a prayer meeting. It's always encouraging to see people praying together, but particularly so when it is happening at a youth camp.

The theme for the camp this year is "Toy Story" so the costumes came out for the camp photo today. Once again, there were some magnificent costumes amongst the campers and leaders, so we want to give a big shout out to the mums who worked really hard to help get these things together. (Of course, some dads might have helped too.)

After dinner we really kicked on with the theme and watched the movie. For some of us it's been a long time since watching this classic film, and it was good to hear some of these lines again.

"This isn't flying. This is falling with style."

Now it's time for people to head to bed. It's a cold night, and this might help us all to sleep better. We'll find out in the morning. 

North Camp 2018 - Day One

North Camp 2018 has begun and the weather at Camp Curumbene is magnificent.

Pizza is always a good way to begin, and this was our first meal at lunch today.

Activities followed and it is good to be outdoors for this. We began with a game of "Would you rather" where people divided themselves into groups based on what they would prefer. A good way to get to know new people. Then we divided into our activity groups and were challenged to protect the egg. One group, Andy's Toys, wrapped the egg in bubble wrap with a lot of tape, wrapped this in newspaper and put it in a plastic container, then more tape. This survived the drop and the throw. Even when someone else threw it.

Then the egg was unwrapped and thrown around to see whose would last the longest. Sadly, Andy's Toys didn't win that event.

Andrew Vines is the speaker for this camp and is speaking from Proverbs. In the first session he was able to remind the campers, particularly the young man telling me what happened, that there are some things we should fear, and some things we should not fear. We should fear God, for this is the beginning of wisdom.

Breaking into our study groups gave the campers the opportunity to consider what advice they would give a younger sibling.

Dinner was amazing with a plate full of chicken and vegies, followed by ice cream. Who wouldn't love that! I shouldn't forget to mention the garlic bread either.

Evening activities were outside again (the weather really is that good). The game was a mix of
"What's the time, Mr Wolf" and "Capture the Flag". You could sneak up in the dark, but if you were seen with the torch and named, you needed to go back and start again. Everyone was a winner in this game.

The campfire was lit, the moose song was sung, marshmallows were cooked, and supper was eaten.

It's been a great day at North Camp 2018. We look forward to tomorrow.

(Thanks Jonah for the photos.)

PYV Camps this weekend - Sept 22-24 2018

This weekend will be a busy and exciting one for PYV with two camps and a training intensive weekend. 

East Camp will be happening at Camp Rumbug (Foster) with Rev Nick Arundell speaking. Daniel and his leadership team have been working together to ensure the camp is a great one and that campers have the opportunities to get to know each other well.

 

North Camp will be happening at Camp Curumbene (Corop) with Rev Andrew Vines speaking. Shady and his leadership team have also been busy preparing for this camp, also working to ensure the campers will have opportunities to get to know each other. 

Both camps have “Proverbs” as the chosen Biblical passage to focus on, and as I have attended the training days for both camps, I have been encouraged to hear the way that both Nick and Andrew present the gospel from these wonderful chapters. 

While we hope that the campers will get to know each other well, (and the leaders too) our great desire is that Jesus will be seen and understood as Saviour and Lord. Would you please pray for this over the weekend? Please add this to your prayers at church on Sunday, and so allow others to join in that prayer. 

 

I also mentioned a training intensive. PYV is launching a new training initiative and the pilot program happens at North Camp this weekend. Ten people from five regional churches will join us at camp and spend three days with the Youth Ministries Director (that’s me) learning more of what it means to have an effective local church youth ministry. I would ask you to be praying for this

initiative too.

Thank you friends for your ongoing support and interest in the work of PYV. We believe that God is continuing to call people to him, and to then equip them for some form of ministry in life. We believe that God is using PYV to do this. All glory to God.