Youth Group Campouts

As this is read on Sunday morning, we will be either on our way or already arrived at our son's home in Saint Joe, Michigan. We haven't seen the kids and Kim for awhile and haven't seen John for even longer so it will be a joy to visit with them. Whenever we go there on a Sunday there is also the added bonus of listening to John preach at St Joe Christian Reformed Church where he is employed.

Three of our grandchildren on are camp outs this weekend with either junior high or high school groups from their churches. Isaiah is now in seventh grade and has joined the youth group for that age level. He is always hesitant about doing stuff with groups unless he knows "who is going". This weekend was no different. He told me more than once that he wasn't going. After one of the leaders called to talk with him and read him "the list" of attendees, he changed his mind and decided he would go. So after gathering a list a mile long of things he needed for his twenty seven hours of junior high bliss at Turkey Run, I brought him to church yesterday morning for debarkation. I noticed there were eight girls and two boys. I'd say Isaiah and his friend Dustin have a pretty good ratio going there. The years right around the year of his birth were very short on boys. Even his class at school has only four boys. For some things it is a good thing and for things like class basketball teams it is a real bummer.

I would love to have been a bug on the wall in that camp last night. Bless those leaders who so willingly give of their time to this group. Junior high kids are challenging to say the least. Give me high schoolers any day of the week. I've worked with both age groups and find the older one much more controllable.

Camp outs with kids have several goals, I suppose. One would be to tighten the tie between the kids and give them an appropriate support group within the safe (hopefully) haven of their church. It would also be to strengthen their faith in Christ and learn of His ways for growing through the teenage years into a productive adult citizen of the kingdom of God. I pray these trips will serve that purpose not only for my grandchildren but for all the kids that enjoyed that experience this weekend.