Big Foot and the Green Team

The pink dyed ends of her hair flip out from underneath her gray derby style hat.  Her green plastic Prescott Pines Camp bracelet stands out among the rest.  She is the only one on her team; the other church has not arrived yet.  After the rules of the game are explained, the group of excited junior high campers is released to gather as many balloons as they can scavenge in the dark that now surrounds the camp grounds.  First they huddle as a team to come up with a strategy.  How will they keep the balloons from being popped by the counselors? How will they defend themselves against Big Foot?  Excitement continues to rise from Blue, Yellow and Red as the teams rush out the doors into the night. And then there is Green.  She is alone but undaunted. Back in the gym where they are to return with as many perfect sets of four colors they can find, we wait. The screams and the laughter indicate that the game is in full motion.  Blue’s door bursts open. Balloons pour out of arms but they don’t have a perfect set. They are sent back out into the dark.  On the far side of the building, Red’s door flings open.  They too are sent back.  We wait and we wait. And then she enters. The Green Team.  Confident and strong, she strides across the gym floor. Her smile shows off a mouth full of shiny braces. Red face flushed, she unzips her coat. Balloons float to the floor. She starts pulling them out of her pants as well.  By herself, she has found and secured two full sets, stuffed carefully in her clothes. I exclaim how awesome she is and she returns to the hunt.  One against many, she not only survives but conquers… 

This past weekend we had our first of three winter camps. Jenna, the sole survivor, is actually returning again. (She promises not to tell the others about Big Foot.) Last week, she asked questions about sin and the depth of God’s love for her.  We hope she is encouraged in the knowledge of the victory that we have in Christ. The theme of winter camp is survival. May each camper come to know that we are more than conquerors in Him!