Campanigans 10!

Well people I am sincerely sorry because I haven't blogged once since camp started.  Wow I can't believe it was that long ago but here I am sitting in the office on a Mac typing up a campanigans in my few minutes of spare time.  Honestly there is not enough space or time to tell you guys just how much God has done in the past 3 weeks but I can just tell you that it has been awesome.  It's crazy right now because a ton of people on our team are sick and they are taking mucinex and antibiotics to fight off this nasty cold.  Fortunately I am on the back side of my cold and the medicine has done its job.  So here I am pretty awake considering how late it is and just how tired I normally am at this time in the evening. 

So the first week was pretty awesome and I had a Bible study of just 8 people.  That just seems pretty much unreal to me now as I consider it.  The first week only had about 200 students and while that may seem somewhat large, it's not even close.  It was pretty cool the first week because I felt like I knew every student at camp and so it was neat to go around and know everyone.  I honestly can't say that that will happen again this summer considering how many students we are having week to week.  My week one group was pretty excited to be at camp and it was cool to see the relationships formed in our group in just that very short time.  That first week I did not get to teach my Guy's Track or apologetics tracks because no one signed up for them but it was cool because the first week I got to help with Basketball and Handball, which is pretty much amazing.  Handball is like a mix between ultimate frisbee, soccer, and a bunch of other sports.  Anyway, week one ended successfully and I shipped those students off with a tear.

The second week was equally awesome except for the fact that the second week is when I began to come down with that nasty cold.  My group second week was very enthusiastic and I had 15 college students from the same church.  It was crazy because I went from 8 students to 36 students in my Bible Study!  I could not believe the difference but it helped to have a group that was very excited and self motivated because I just did not have the energy to do it on my own.  After I started to take the Mucinex I began to feel better and by the end of the week I got to be excited and loud with my students.  The second week I ended up having 40 students in my apologetics class and 17 in my Guy's Track.  The apologetics classes went extremely well and it was cool because at the end of the week the guys track met with the girls track and asked them questions.  Week two was interesting but the thing that stinks is that I didn't feel like I knew nearly as many people.

Week three has just begun and it's cool because I can say that I know every one of my students' names.  My Bible study is really cool and I am looking forward to getting to know these students better but it's hard to keep myself from getting tired of the same repetitive Bible lessons and track outlines.  It is cool because I have been getting things revealed to me on a weekly basis.  I have been super encouraged in reading the book of Galatians.  Galatians is by far my favorite book and I have an awesome verse to share with all of my devoted readers.

In Galatians 4:9 which says, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"  I found this passage quite cool because it talks about how we have come to be known by God.  God knows who each and every one of us is by name.  We have come to know God but even more to be know by God our creator.  This verse stood out to me in a new way that I had never experienced before and I wanted to share that with ya'll.  Please pray for the team and their sickness and thanks for reading once again.  I am sorry if this seemed rushed or all over the place but here ya go!  I don't know when the next one will come but happy readings and happy trails.

Campanigans 9!

Well, let's see, I guess it's that time again where I sit down in front of my trusty ol' Toshiba and pump out a campanigans before I hit the hay. So yeah, get excited everyone it's CAMPANIGANS time. Honestly, I do not have a whole lot to say today, which probably means that I'll end up saying a lot more than I ever intended to. We started out the day by the typical breakfast and quite time. I really enjoyed the quiet time and it was another good time to pray for those campers that I have yet to meet.

After my quiet time it was off to the Rec field to learn about Mega. Mega is a big deal at Fuge and it is where Bible Studies compete against each other in a huge relay. The staff ran Mega but since I am currently a cripple, I pushed the staffers and helped to call out the next thing that was in line for them to do. After successfully completing the events of mega relay we discussed other rec stuff before heading into the sanctuary to run rehearsals all day. After we finished the rec stuff we followed our camp coordinator, Kevin Spratt, to the Worship center where we had a small graduation ceremony in which we received a certificate, whistle, and our team flags. I honestly don't know if there is significance in the whistle other than as a way to quiet our students down, but that is beyond me. After the ceremony we hopped right into the rehearsals with the band.

Since I am now running pro presenter I got to sit at the sound booth and run that program all day. I want to say first and foremost that we have a rocking band and I thoroughly enjoy being able to help with an aspect of worship. However, this may be a surprise to many of you, but I am not perfect, and throughout the day, we all head our share of mistakes such as a missed line, mistimed sound byte, or other such things. Now since Brandon requested that I mention him in my Blog, this is my opportunity to do so. Brandon is my PD (program director) who essentially tells me everything that needs to happen. Brandon is also what you would call a class clown type and has earned the nickname of "Coach." Here's to you Brandon/Coach.

After running all of the AM shows and Worship sets, we all got to go to dinner at TGI Fridays, and I must say that the Sizzling Chicken and Cheese with bread sticks hit the spot. We all conversed at the table and I thoroughly enjoyed the Calvinism v. Armenianism debate as well as the guys' discussion on caving and our experiences. After Fridays Marc, Katherine, and I went to Walmart where I got a coffee cup, pop tarts, and caribiners for my backpack. I must say that I am a cheap college student and got the significantly cheaper off-brand pop tarts. However, being the coffee connoisseur that I am, I could not get myself to buy the cheapest ugly coffee cup, but I bought a coffee cup that was a dollar more because it looked more stylish. I know this is only for a cup of coffee in the morning but it made a difference to me.

Once we returned to campus, we went into a staff worship time, which was by far the best part of the day. With music being played we had a time to focus on the word, prayer, and community. We were encouraged to take time and pray by ourselves as well as with each other. As I knelt by a chair I opened up my Bible to Psalms and I came across Psalm 139 about God has knit us intricately and knows exactly how everything has to work out. As I read this I was comforted to know that God has done everything at camp for a purpose and before time he was thinking about me. Nothing I do at camp this summer will go unnoticed or unplanned. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created me, put me in the family he did, and put me at Union Centrifuge 2009 as a Bible Study Leader. After the time where we got to pray with each other, I came back to the dorm and called my awesome parents and then went outside to hang out.

With everyone outside I just layed on the sidewalk and looked up thinking about how vast God is but yet he knit me and knows everything about me. God planned for me to be right here right now writing this blog for all of ya'll to read. Wow he knows it all. As I looked into the sky I just prayed that God would use this staff to touch students who would in turn touch the world. Here at camp we are touching lives one by one day by day and that is what God has called us to do. Place no limits on God and he'll place no limits on you.

Union Love,
Jason