Summer Team Reflections Part II

One of our desires at Amberlea is to share God’s love to our community by connecting one by one with families in ways that are helpful to them.  We have an amazing Summer Team that is leading a variety of summer programming opportunities that is doing just that!  Our Summer Team of five youth (17-20 years old) and the volunteers assisting them are doing a fantastic job with virtual and in person camps, as well as youth and family events!  Please continue to pray for each of them and the children and families they are ministering to.

Last week we heard from Ella and Jordan.  This week, meet Arlie and Jessica and read some of their reflections of their experiences this summer.

Arlie’s Reflections J

My name is Arlie and it is my second year working at Amberlea. After a great summer last year, I was super excited to work here again, especially for the Outdoor Camp. With a new team this year, I was a little nervous. However, the team has been super great to work with and we all get along very well. 

Before ever working at Amberlea, I volunteered here for two summers. Starting as a volunteer, I was super anxious and had no confidence in myself. My relationship with God also wasn’t very strong. Now with it being my fourth summer at Amberlea, I’ve learned so much more about the Bible and feel much closer to God. I’m hoping to be able to give that same opportunity to the kids coming to camp.  

 Despite the low numbers that we had for Camp in a Box 2gether Time, the kids that we did have were always looking forward to the fun games and stories we had planned. We’ve also now completed one week of Outdoor Camp. Considering that we hadn’t run an in-person camp in two years, I was slightly worried. I’ve come to realize that I was worried for no reason. The kids have been super engaged, well-behaved, and eager to learn about God. I’ve heard kids complain that they don’t want to go home at the end of the camp day! I hope that in the following weeks we can continue to bring some joy and normalcy into these kids' lives after the crazy year and a half we’ve had with Covid-19. 

Jessica’s Reflections J

Summer could not come fast enough, and with it came the staple of the season - Amberlea Church’s summer programs. After a school year with little opportunity for creativity and meaningful connections, I was yearning for the chance to do something valuable with my time. It has been a joy to get to work with such a fun group and grow in our experiences. But, the last time I had really been able to flex these creative muscles was the summer before, so I was definitely a little nervous that I had lost my touch. There was also an obvious pressure on those of us who were returning team members to keep up the standards we had set. Coming up with high quality children’s programming is no small task and can be overwhelming at times.

As someone who works better with a strict deadline, I like to get things done quickly. This method can lead to unnecessary stress and a distorted sense of time. This is the main place I’ve seen God working so far this summer. I was part of a Bible study earlier in the year all about slowing down and really being in the moment and it is something I’ve been working on. Of course, I’m not perfect and, like everyone, I get caught up in the “hurry” of everything. Every time I found myself not being able to do something because I got too caught up in the rush of it all, I heard this voice telling me to take a step back. By slowing down and not doing something just to do something, I was able to produce much higher quality output.

My colleagues can confirm that I like to say, “Life is a walk, not a run.” If everyone was able to walk through life like Jesus did, we would avoid many unnecessary stressors. Just as God is looking over every family who is part of summer programs, He is also looking over our team. My prayer for the rest of the summer is that we are able to slow down and enjoy every moment - this will go beyond this experience and be vital for our whole lives.

New Perspective from the end of the driveway.

Have you ever run away from home?

I remember when I was 6 or 7.  I asked my mom if I could have a dog.  

She said “no”.  

That seemed rather unreasonable so I decided to run away from home.  That was probably the extent of my thinking on the matter.  I packed up my green and brown checkered suitcase with only the essentials, my stuffed animal and a pair of underwear.  And off I went.  I said goodbye to my mother and walked out the front door.  When I got outside I realized that I didn’t know where I was going to go.  So, since I had started this I was going to walk to the end of the driveway.  Yup, that’s where I went, to the end of the driveway where the driveway met with the sidewalk.  I wasn’t allowed to cross the street by myself, so there I stood.  

My situation suddenly seemed different at the end of the driveway.  I began to miss the comforts of home. My room. My toys. My mom. ‘I suppose I really didn’t have to have a dog’, I thought to myself, ‘maybe I could get a cat!’  

As my perspective changed I decided that I had made my mother suffer long enough so I went back up the driveway.  I opened the front door and pronounced to my mother - who was exactly where I left her 5 minutes earlier - that I had decided to stay.  She seemed relieved.

Sometimes a little time away is all we need.  As we break away from whatever our ‘situation’ is and take time to reflect, often our perspective changes. You may find that the situation doesn’t seem as bad when you take the opportunity to step away from it.  It doesn’t have to be a long time, but just a time, to be quiet, to pray, to reflect (see Matt. 14:23) and in that time away we may realize how very blessed we really are! 

God knew that about us and created the Sabbath.  

As you stand at the end of your driveway today, I pray that you may gain new insight into whatever your ‘situation’ is.  I pray you sense a new HOPE and experience the virtue of gratitude. 

Through the month of August, I will be taking some time to do this as well. Be blessed by our speakers, meet with one another safely, and let’s pray that we might be able to gather together in person in September.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”   Psalm 46:10