Record of Ministry Activities
6/22/09 6 hours training; 4 hours site preparation; 2 hours bible study
6/23/09 4.5 hours training; 2 hours site prep; 1hour bible study
6/24/09 3 hours training; 3 hours site prep; 1.5 hours bible study
6/25/09 4 hours training; 4 hours site prep; 1 hour bible study; 2 hours preparing bible exploration
6/26/09 1 hour training; 1.5 hours preparing bible ex; 1.5 hours site prep; 2 hours welcoming mothers and daughters
6/27/09 1 hour practicing then leading worship; 1 hour leading outdoor cookery; 2 hours games with campers
Personal Reflection
This week mostly consisted of getting prepared for the rest of the summer at camp. We have spent much of our time learning how to deal with different issues that may come up while working with campers. These are areas such as bullying, recognizing child abuse, conflict resolution, etc. Dealing with bullying was helpful to me because last summer I had campers who were always picking on one girl because she was not your typical kind of girl. However, we learned that in most cases a child is both a victim and a bully due to retaliation. Looking back to last summer I remember the victim in my group often provoking the rest of the group.
For conflict resolution we were given some steps to help us solve problems between people in a group. The first step is not to single out any one person but talk to the group as a whole. I think this is very important because it prevents embarrassment of the child causing the problem and prevents bullying from the rest of the group to that child. The next step is to have the group come up with ideas for a solution instead of just giving them one. This empowers them to deal with their own conflicts in the future. Parents today tend to do everything for their children, but here at camp we want to help by giving them the chance to solve problems only with our guidance. One aspect of this step that was new to me was to write all their ideas down no matter how silly they may be. If you tell them they are silly it will stifle their creativity in solving the problem. We always have a chance to evaluate the ideas in the next step anyway. The group chooses the best solution by looking at the pros and cons of each idea. Once the group comes to an agreement it is now easier to keep the solution in play because they chose it and not me.
Finally, one of the most interesting topics of our training was learning about the seven cries of today’s teens. These can be found in the book Soul Searching by Christian Smith. They include trust, to be loved, security, purpose, to be heard, to be valued, and purpose and support. When we discussed these issues I looked back on my own adolescence and remembered how I wanted these same things. Each time I remember, the passion to help teens becomes more evident in my heart. I really want to try and meet these needs this summer by being a role model, showing that I love them unconditionally, listening to each of them intently, helping them find their purpose in life and being interested in them as people. There is so much more that I learned this week. I have found all of it very helpful for my ministry this summer and for the rest of my life. I am so thankful to have the opportunity this summer to practice these skills.
Spiritual Reflection
We have also spent time in Bible studies in order to prepare us spiritually for camp. We are focusing on having our hearts set on God this summer (Psalm 108:1). I am really thankful for this because it is so easy to become wrapped up in the things of this world. Before I came to camp I was focused too much on making money at my job so I could have enough to last the year while I am at school. I noticed how my attitude changed because I became disappointed in the idea that life after college is nothing but working and paying your bills. But then I remembered that I chose to be in the ministry so that I would not be focused on making money but on meeting the needs of teens for the glory of God. It is not about the money in this career. If it were, I would have chosen a job that paid more. But anyway, back to setting our hearts on God; I am much more focused on Him throughout the day now. I rely on Him in situations such as trying to start a fire yesterday during an activity when it had just rained. God answers even our smallest prayers of asking for fire so that we could eat. During one of our sessions we were asked to make a goal for the summer. My goal is to trust God more. So far this week I was given trials to help me. I also want to work on having a servant’s heart not because it is expected of me, but because Jesus died for me. I am currently trying to memorize Psalm 103 to help me remember all that God is and has done for us. Last but not least, we studied scripture on the righteous person and what that looks like, and on the characteristics of God that we want to teach the campers through our actions and words.
