Summer Camps 2012

Camp Sam is a two week leadership development program for committed Christian teens from 15-17 years of age. It is full of challenges, all kinds of challenges! Why challenges? Because challenges are precious gifts according to James 1:5-8,

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed…”(The Message)

Quest exists to develop people of all ages, taking them from one step in their faith journey to the next in an intentional adventure camp setting. Working with Camp Sam every summer is one of the many passions that Scott and I have. It is incredibly stirring each summer to see young men and women making life-changing decisions in their faith journeys.

Following the idea behind the book called DO HARD THINGS by Brett and Alex Harris , we created a 2 week program specifically putting our Camp Sammers in situations that stretched them. The five HARD THINGS we worked on were…

1. Getting out of your comfort zone…into new territory such as budgeting finances, public speaking and sending “city kids” into the jungle!
• They received R$50 as a group and had to decide on a menu for supper, do the shopping and cook the meal outdoors!
• They had to follow orange markers on Quest’s property, discovering a trail they had never been on before!
• They had to discover through conversation some uniqueness about each one of them and then give a 5 minute discourse on that subject!

2. Going beyond what is expected of you…going for excellence in all you do, being respectful of others and dreaming BIG!
• They were given the opportunity to hit the “ bulls eye” during our axe-throwing session!
• What better way to learn respect than through etiquette classes, or better yet, ballroom dance lessons!
• They each wrote their own “Bucket List” of dreams and shared them with our team around a blazing campfire.

3. The Power of Collaboration…working at something too large to do it yourself.
• They tried to pull our car individually, then in groups of two and three and then they all worked together to see how quickly and effortlessly they could do it in comparison.
• They were sent on a “mission” to rescue two scientists that had lost their way in the woods. Their rescue mission involved cooperative activities which forced them to work together physically and mentally….fantastic!
• In the evening they were challenged to work together in groups of three to dream up a social project that they felt was necessary to improve society. One group developed a federal campaign to increase general respect for people and the other group worked out a plan to open a resource and training centre for underprivileged children and teens. Thought-provoking!

4. Small Things that do not give us immediate results.
• They were served balanced meals…eating healthy!
• They listened to a panel discussion including several guests from different areas of studies(engineering, pastoral, psychology, medicine and missions) to talk through the importance of strong study habits throughout high school in order to help them later on in life.
• They endured personal fitness testing(sit ups, push ups, chin ups, sprints and long jump) taken from the old Canadian Fitness Test.
• They wrote a letter to their parents, asking forgiveness for areas in which they haven’t been obedient and letting their parents know the changes they are wanting to implement in their lives after Camp Sam.

5. Going against the Cultural Norms…creating waves where they have influence to do so.
• They learned about different social behaviours….differences in personalities which we celebrated together!
• They prepared and delivered Bible studies in groups of two.

We love seeing God's transforming power in these teens' lives. Each one of you, our supporters, plays an integral role in this ministry...thank you so much for your love, encouragement and prayers.