SUMMER BREAK 2013-14
Highlights of our first
family camp in 18 Years
Hi beautiful people! I would
love to tell you a few things
about the work God did on
Family Camp this summer.
Around 80% of the families
don't currently follow Jesus.
So our main goal was to "to
see families grow and unite
together under Christ". So
here goes….
- Families eating together! Might seem simple,
but so many simply sit on the couch or sit
together while watching TV. A grandmother said
to me, "at first we didn't like that we didn't have
a TV. But then I realised I could watch the kids
instead and still have a good time"
- At the beginning of the week we saw parents
lazing around and not particularly interested in
playing with their kids. But by the final day, we
walked out to the oval to see dads
INITIATING soccer games with their
kids! THEN, I witnessed a dad ditch his
plans to play with his daughter. "Dad,
we never play cards together but I
really like playing this with you!"
I was able to share with the parents
my passion for families staying
together and growing closer. We spoke
about parental absence, divorce, & all
the pain that comes with it! They
listened in silence as they realised their
importance as nurturers, how a lack of love affects
kids in school, social & mental skills
- Parents expressing their awe at our FANTASTIC
team and how they so clearly love Jesus. "We can
see that your whole team loves Jesus so much, we
can't believe you don't get paid for this and you
volunteer a whole week!"
- Highlight and lowlight: families saying to us:
when we get back we probably will."
"We just want to stay! We haven't fought all
week and when we get back we probably will."
- Kids willingly return day after day to learn
about Jesus. One particular kid who was rather
troublesome learnt every single memory verse
straight away!
- Teen program: Ads and Reece's testimonies
absolutely hit these kids in the heart. They were
talking about them all day + retelling to their
parents
- Many, many families saying they'll come again
next year, bring another family, AND some will
sponsor other families!
These are just my highlights, I’m sure our
wonderful team could talk your ears off!
Jessica Nelson - Leader
STANDOUT >>>>
Summer Stories
Story #1
From a Mother!
"I
just wanted to tell you how
much Sophie enjoyed camp this
summer, apparently it was the
BEST ever ever ever !!! Sophie
has been to a number of camps,
at all different times and whilst
she has always really enjoyed it
this time was obviously extra
special, maybe just the mix and
so on i don’t know, but she
actually cried because it was
over this time!"
Each year we have people applying because of the great reviews they
hear from previous LIT's, and this year was no different. We accepted our
usual 16 LIT's (this year 10 girls and 6 guys) one of which was from NZ,
who is now keen to invest back into CYC Ministries next summer.
Journeying with these young people who want to be trained in Christian
Leadership is such an incredible privilege and blessing. Over the 17 days
after experiencing many highs and lows of their journey, it was a real
highlight to hear that a number of them now feel that they actually
own their own faith. It is no longer based on what their youth pastor, or
their parents said, but on their own fresh revelation / relationship with
Jesus. Darren Blood
Story #2
“The best camp memories are always the organic, unplanned ones”. Mine
was the moment we realised that we could send people down a slip n slide
whilst sitting in an empty inflatable pool. What followed was campers going
down the slide together in bunches and absolutely beaming with smiles
and laughter. What started as an activity that can only be experienced solo
became a group experience and it was just a great testament to how
special camp is in the way it brings people together and creates unique
memories. Luke Martin
Story #3
Forest Edge Summer Teen Camp was an opportunity for me to hand over
the reins of heading up the worship team to younger up-and-coming
musicians. It was incredibly exciting thing to see young people who had
grown up in CYC Ministries camps boldly and skilfully leading us in
worship through song. They did a fantastic job and it was a very proud
moment. Luke Martin