Camp Barnabas, Theme Background!

But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them,

just as he WANTED them to be." I Corinthians 12:18

The Theme for Camp Barnabas this week...wow.
And this is from their newsletter:
Dear "first_name":



Do you get doubt? Like really, get what doubt is, what it means, what it does to your perspective? When you doubt something, you regard it as unlikely. Like when you're in a difficult position financially and you don't think you'll ever see daylight. Or when you hear the words, "You have cancer" or "Your child has Down syndrome." And you don't think your life will ever be normal again.

Those perspectives can be devastating. But what if we understood that everything about our lives is arranged just as God wants it to be? What if we knew we are truly wanted by God and that is why He has this life for us? You might even say, what if we really trusted God?

Each day this summer our campers are discussing aspects of what it means to dispel doubt by embracing trust. But it is those of us here with them that are learning the real lessons. Because their approach to life sets aside doubt. Their faith in the God who created them challenges us all to accept that we are exactly where He wants us to be.

And one more thing!
This summer marks the 15th year of camp. In looking for ways to share with you what these years have meant, we decided to capture camp through the eyes of someone with a fresh perspective. Sam Avery is a cabin counselor this summer...the first time he's ever been to Camp Barnabas. Each edition this summer he will share how God is shaping him....



At the end of staff week, Sam shared:



My first week at Camp Barnabas can be summarized in one word: overwhelming! It has been a week full of training, hard work and a lot of learning. The Barnabas community is one filled with passion, sacrifice and love for the kids and most importantly God...I was asked how I felt after being here a week and this was the most accurate response I could think of. I felt like a little kid who is super thirsty and is trying to drink water out of an open fire hydrant.



Then, following Term 1:



I can't believe how alive camp became when the campers arrived. It was a week full of much learning. I was challenged to trust God and know that He was going to carry me through. Living life with the campers was very exciting. I was able to serve at all hours of the day and night and know that I was an encouragement. The campers showed me what true joy is life. I was blessed to be a part of their lives. I was exhausted at the end of every day, but didn't regret it. The week could be summarized with one word...grace. God bestowed much grace upon my co (cabin staff partner) and I as He allowed this week to be great! We didn't know how it would turn out, but I don't think we could have asked for a better start of camp.