Last week we had senior high camp at Baptist Park.  We had 28 campers, which sounds small, but for our senior high week, it was the largest we have had in years.  While there were many highlights last week, I don't think anyone can deny the real turning point of the session was when two of our staff - both high school students - shared their stories of God's grace in their lives.

David went first.  This 17 year old spoke about how he began abusing alcohol when he was 11 years old.  He spoke about his father's death at a young age.  he spoke about how his drinking became out of control by the time he was in early high school.  He talked about getting a job at camp last summer even though he didn't believe in God and had only been to church once in his life.

Then he talked about the night he passed out from drinking, but woke up on a Sunday morning feeling compelled to go to church.  He talked about accepting my job offer last summer more or less on a whim. He talked about the service last summer when our good friend Donnie Brown was the speaker, and how, after a powerful encounter with God David sat in the Tabernacle and prayed until he surrendered to God. ( Read about that evening here: http://www.supremecourtjesters.org/RicksBlog/tabid/66/EntryId/65/Senior-High-Week-at-Camp.aspx )  He spoke about this past year, even though he's still in the same school with the same friends, he has been sober the whole time.  you could have heard a pin drop.

Then Lauren spoke.  Her story is very different.  she is an honor roll student in a Christian school, and has gone to church her whole life.  While maintaining a good outward reputation, she hated God and Christians due to the bullying and, worse, ignoring, she received at school and in youth group.  She talked about how she began self injury as a sixth grader.  She spoke about how she needed someone to introduce her to the Jesus  Bible to to heal her from the damage done from years of evangelical religion coupled with bsence of grace.  She talked about letting go ofthe rules and the conformity and the 'good girl' image in order to fall in love with Jesus and realize He had already fallen in love with her.

This testimony time was at 4:00, and supper here is at 5:00.  Many staff and campers were 15, 30 even 45 minutes late for supper because they were doing whatever business God had for them to do, and even food would not keep these teens from letting god touch them deep in their souls.  Even today we heard from a father of a camper from last week sharing how his daughter is yielding to the lord so that her life might be changed for the better forever.