Summer Camp 2013

Created in the Image of God- Creado en la Imagen de Dios

This year we had our yearly Summer Camp from June 25^th-28^th. Every year a group from Elmbrook church in Wisconsin comes down to help put on this camp for the boys. This year’s topic was focused on identity and finding your identity in Christ.  This teaching was based on the testimonies of King David and King Saul, and how both were kings and had dealt with some similar things, however, King Saul didn’t allow God to guide his life and King David did, and despite even the bad things that King David had done, because David was a servant of God and obedient to Him, God restored King David’s life and blessed him. I feel that this year’s topic really allowed us to go deeper with our boys and even go deeper within our staff. 

The boys and staff were challenged to make a box that would represent them. The outside of the box represented the things that they think that the people perceive them to be or how they feel they portray to be themselves on the outside. Then they were challenged to share what is “inside their box,” the things that perhaps they don’t outwardly show, but they know themselves to be on the inside. Those things were pasted inside the box because those things are some of the things that make them who they are. The final challenge was then to place hurts and thing that had really affected them in a negative way; things that they have perhaps kept bottled up inside, and they were placed in their box (but not glued).

The final day, we were all blessed to hear the testimony of one of the Elmbrook Team members. This testimony touched everyone present, to hear of the difficult things that this person had gone through and it was so encouraging to hear how God restored her and her life. This left a very reflective moment for all of us, even our boys! We then took those hurts and pains that were inside of our box, and took them out of the box and laid them before the cross as a symbol of giving them over to God. We then burned those hurts and pains and the boys picked up promises that God has for us and replaced those hurts that were inside their boxes with God’s promises for their lives. This camp really opened up the boys and staff to talk about and discuss some difficult things that have happened in their lives. It was really a blessing to see the boys’ reactions when they saw their hurts and pains being burned up in the flames. You could just see this relief come over them as a big weight was just lifted off of them.

 This camp was a huge blessing, and really allowed for the boys, Dominican staff and the Wisconsin group to deepen and strengthen their relationships first of all with our creator, but also with each other.