Hey lovely internet people!
So I just got home from spending a week out at Camp Livingstone for Crosstalk Ministries' Senior Youth Camp 2011! And before that, I had told you I was taking a week to visit my grandparents in BC! This is just a quick account of what I have been up to for the last few weeks.
From August 1st to 8th I was out in beautiful British Columbia, visiting my grandfather in Port Alberni and my grandmother in Gibson's. We mostly ate lots of really tasty food and spent a little time with their friends and business partners (my grandfather's a goldsmith) but I think what really stood out for me was just what God was working through in me during that time.
I had applied for the open position of Youth Coordinator at Emmaus Anglican Church, and was obviously the youngest applicant for the job. From the beginning it was clear that my age would be a bit of an issue but the corporation had assured me that it would not affect their decision-making process because they know how responsible I am. Well, while I was in BC, I prayed through it, and had a good talk with someone important to me, and they told me they didn't think I was ready for it. This was one of those moments where I felt betrayed and hurt and isolated, then realized that, actually, they were right! My reaction to their comment was super irrational and I wasn't taking constructive criticism nearly as well as I should have. Further prayer led me to decide I would withdraw my application and continue to serve as a volunteer with the youth group for a little while longer, while God continues to work in me.
Now here's the fun part, where I realize just how amazing God's timing is.
My good friend Josiah Henderson- check out his blog, Jo Apropos, here http://joapropos.blogspot.com/ -had been encouraging me all year to check out Crosstalk Ministries' Senior Youth Camp (google them, they do lots of cool stuff!) and I had been putting it off because I was worried I'd be needed in Montreal if I got the coordinator job. Well, since I withdrew my application, I immediately went and applied, very last minute, not knowing what to expect but definitely feeling called to attend.
This past week has been so incredible for me. I met lots of amazing Christians my age, grew super close to most of them, and had a lot of really intimate moments with God. One thing that really stood out was that the small group material we were using (lessons based around Rob Bell's book "Sex God") were super relevant to the things I'm going through in my life right now. One of the lessons talked about Agape love (or unconditional, self-giving, self-sacrificing love, like the kind God has for us) and that's a concept God's been revealing to me and helping me understand all of this year. So it was just really incredible being in such a neat environment with such neat people learning such neat things that God was already starting to work on in my life!
Brief shoutouts here! Follow @Mikecalo (the speaker from this week's senior camp!), @Youthguy07 (Carl Jones, a very neat guy and former youth pastor) and check out that blog I linked to above for amazing art by an amazing guy (Josiah Henderson)!
Lots of cool stuff coming up in the next little while! Stay tuned.
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