For the past few months, I have had the great joy of working as the Summer Youth Intern, during which time I have witnessed God at work, not only in the lives of our youth and community but also in my own life.
I have had the opportunity to facilitate a weekly bible study, witnessing students first-hand get excited about reading the bible, discovering what Paul said to the church in Corinth, and seeing how that can apply to our lives today. This bible study has been as impactful to my relationship with God as I'm sure it has been to the lives of the students that have been attending.
2 Corinthians 3:18 is a verse that captures Paul's heart for the people of Corinth well, and the people of God globally.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)
I have seen heart transformation as our youth behold the glory of God, And I continue to be transformed by God's grace because of it.
At the start of summer, we started a new initiative called Friday Fanfares, where we welcome back hundreds of campers from Camp Qwanoes. It's honestly hard to feel the impact of this experience every week. But, welcoming the campers back, and extending the love of God in whatever way we can, it seems like a net positive. God is working in the life of every kid that attends Qwanoes, and our desire is that they continue to see God at work when they return.
Shout out to each and every volunteer that either provided cookies for this initiative or who came out to help on a Friday night; we could not have done it without you!
Lastly, our big event of the summer was a retreat to Chilliwack. This event was filled with fun and games of course, but even more importantly it was crafted to give students space and time to connect deeper with God. Over the weekend, through worship time, Scripture reading, and a distraction-free hour spent with God, my hope is that our students came away from the weekend feeling renewed and having a better relationship with God because of it. I think one of our youth put it best when they said their take away from the weekend was that, "you could spend time with God in a chill way." Personally, this retreat was a great reminder that spending time with God is the best way to spend "my" free time, and yeah, spending time with God can be pretty chill.
This summer has been transformational for me, as I continue to behold God's Glory. Thank you to Jacob, who has been a huge part of that as we have been meeting weekly to explore more deeply what being a Christ following leader looks like.
And thank you to every youth that has attended our summer programs this year. It has been a pleasure to see them continually growing into the image of God.
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