Alpine 2017 was a blast. There was a ton of snow this year so that made for even more activities than usual. It was great watching all of our San Diegans struggle to reconcile how to survive in the snow. Looking around the camp, you could tell that our kids were very unprepared as they walked around in Vans and went sledding in sleeping bags. But hey! They are in Middle School and they didn’t care. They were having the time of their life. One highlight for me was the last night of small groups…

In my small group there were a lot of, what the church calls, “recommitments.” Many of our students raised their hands to acknowledge that they felt distant from God and wanted to recommit their life to him. This is always a big decision at Middle School Camp. The hardest thing to do in Middle School ministry is help our students understand that the “camp feeling” does not have to go away. In fact, what they are experiencing at camp is Gods Spirit. Here is what we taught them this weekend:

God’s Spirit is always around. God is always working. The Scripture says that. However, we are so busy in our lives that we are unaware of Him throughout our day. When we go to camp, no wonder we are SO aware of His presence. We have no cell phones, no school, and we are disconnected from the “every day” busyness of life.

 

It is easy to be aware of God’s movements camp.

 

Here was the challenge we posed to our Middle School friends: What can you take back with you that will help you be more “aware” of God in your every day life. For a Middle Schooler, this is tough. With the activities and busyness that a Middle Schooler is getting used to and also learning how to manage as he/she matures into themselves is strenuous. With this challenge, the kids had great ideas. Here is what many said:

  • I could spend 15 minutes in the morning before school listening to worship music and praying
  • I could make church a priority in my life because I feel happy when I am there
  • I could spend 15 minutes between school and my next event reading the Bible app on my phone instead of playing video games on it

These were incredible responses and we are praying that our students would remember their commitments and to honor them as well. I would encourage all of our parents to ask their student if they made any of these commitments and help them live their commitments out.

 

Overall this was. great weekend and we are praying that our students remember their time at camp and that it would be one of the many spiritual seeds that have been planted into their walk with God.

 

Alpine 2017 Recap Video

Alpine 2017 Pictures

 

You can see all of our Alpine pictures and download them by clicking HERE