Wow! Many, many thanks for all the volunteers, staff, and prayers that went into this year’s Shine Camp! We had a wonderful week of crafts, food, and artwork, but most of all, studying God’s Word together. One of our theme verses was taken from Psalm 19.1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Our God is a creative God, and He has created us to reflect Him in our creativity. We prayed that every girl who attended would grow to see this reflection as they understood more of who God made them to be.
Did camp go perfectly? I am excited to say, it did not. Why? Because of people. We had messes, had to redo projects, take out stitches, and even shed a few tears. Why is that okay? It is okay because our camp was about building relationships, mentoring the girls who came, and reflecting God to them. That meant we were given multiple opportunities to pivot and brainstorm unique ways of loving and teaching each of them.
What makes Shine a unique ministry in our church is that we have so many creative and gifted leaders. Throughout the week each one of them passed on their gifts and talents to a younger generation. Shine is particularly encouraging for me, because, like Titus 2.3-5, we are seeking to train and teach a younger generation of women in this concentrated week through our behavior, talents, and relationships.
This focus on relationships was a highlight of the week. I was very encouraged to see various relationships develop and grow. I saw intergenerational connection throughout the week as many of our adult volunteers taught our middle school students how to sew, cook, and craft together. I also saw older youth leading elementary and middle school girls in the study of God’s Word. Each older youth was trained over the course of many weeks to lead Bible studies, share their testimony, and care for this next generation. I saw each one of us grow in our knowledge of our Creator and Redeemer.
It was a delight to spend time with so many middle school girls, some from within our church and some who were visiting. For those in our church, my prayer was that this week continued to build them up to know themselves and their Savior better. For those outside of the church, my prayer was that they would come to know the Lord through our time together.
So, did camp go perfectly? No! Was it a great week of camp? Absolutely!! Would you continue to pray for our Shine ministry as we consider how to prepare and plan for next year? Thank you, again, for all of your prayers and support for us!
