Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Highlight #1: Kids Kamp









KIDS KAMP.

Need I say more? I remember praying at the beginning of this year and praying specifically for what I would do ministry wise this summer. I had no idea what the Lord had planned but I literally had to let it go and place it in His hands. Little did I know, he would answer every prayer I prayed and blow me away with the summer of a lifetime. I got to spend three months in Birmingham, Alabama serving as a Kids Kamp director at Shades Mountain Baptist Church. For those of you that know me, you know that I love camp ministry and I was so amazed with how the Lord gave me the dream job through this ministry. I can’t begin to put into words how much I loved this summer and how much the Lord did not only in my own personal life, but in the lives of so many kindergarten through sixth graders as well. I got to teach Bible study every day, train and manage staff, plan activities, work alongside incredible leaders and mentors, go on field trips, and the list goes on and on. I literally loved every single aspect of all that I got to do. I loved my experience so much that I am currently at Kids Kamp to work at their Christmas Kamp, and will also return for Spring Break Kamp in 2012. And the best news, I have already accepted the position as director again for Kids Kamp 2012. God blew me away with Kids Kamp 2011, and I can’t even begin to imagine what He has in store for 2012! I am so thankful for Kids Kamp and the lasting impact it will ever have on my 2011 year.

I have tried to put the things that took place in order of how much each has meant to me, and Kids Kamp quickly comes to mind as the highlight of this year. I think this will be what I remember most about 2011. One of the coolest things is I will get to continue to see the fruit from what took place at Kids Kamp 2011. Working at CentriKid camps for three summers prior to this one taught me so much, but one thing that sticks out to me most is: “Ministry works best in the context of a relationship.” I really got to see this come to life this summer. For ten weeks straight, I got to build relationships with kids from so many different backgrounds and home life. While I feel like the children were impacted through our kamp, I can’t help to forget how much they impacted me. I built and established so many relationships with children this summer and loved each and every one of them. If you were to walk in my bedroom at home, you would quickly be able to see that! It has been evident to me how powerful those relationships truly are as I have been working at Christmas Kamp for the past two weeks. It was such a blessing to come back and see some of the kids I was with all summer, and to see that they hadn’t forgotten me. It’s cool too, because for some kids, I didn’t necessarily feel that we built the strongest of relationships, but that they still remembered me and even some things I taught them this summer.

I could write on and on about Kids Kamp. It is literally something that has changed who I am, grown me spiritually, and will be something I will never ever forget. My 2011 has been the highest of highs because of Kids Kamp. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures from this summer…

Holding Open His Door,

JB

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Looking Back on 2011

As most of you know, 2011 is coming to a quick end. As I have lived these last couple of days of this year, I have had some time to reflect and think back. 2011 was filled with so much for me. I learned new things. I built new friendships. God opened new doors. I experienced high times. I endured hardships. So many things took place in 2011. I made a top 10 list of experiences, lessons learned, and highlights from this year. As we approach 2012, I will blog about each of these. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy and get ready for my top 10 from 2011.

Holding Open His Door,

JB