AIA has been great, and I know many of you guys have heard me say that already. At first I was really unsure of whether I wanted to take this job or not. I knew it was going to be tiring and I also knew it was not as much pay as many other jobs. I debated doing AIA or applying for another kid's summer camp job in the city. I finally decided to do AIA and I'm so glad that I did. God has provided an answer for each one of my questions and each one of my worries and problems. I was worried about being tired and exhausted. God gave me power and strength. I was a terrible public speaker and did not know what to say. God gave me the courage and the wisdom to speak boldly. I was worried about raising money and support. God provided the money that I needed through the generosity of people from the church. I was worried about transportation and housing. God gave me amazing teammates and awesome billets. I worried that the pay was too little. God reminded me that my reward is not here on earth but in heaven.
This summer I had a chance to meet many different people from different lifestyles and backgrounds. Different cultures and different experiences, all of them. Yet complete strangers welcomed me into their homes and offered me anything I needed. All because the body of Christ unites us all, and it truly amazes me every time I think of that. It's the realization that each one of these people have experienced God in their own lives and that's what brings us together, and that is remarkable. So many things I've learned this summer that I cannot write them all down. The main thing for me is the reminder to live my faith out boldly and set examples. As children of light we are called by God, and that we are not of this world, and I have to constantly remind myself to not conform to the rules of the world. Well that's pretty much all I can think of in my head right now at 1:35 AM, so I'll just stop there. Overall, I had a great time and this summer has been a positive experience for me. Bev is already trying to get me back for next summer. Although I might not be able to do it next summer, I definitely plan to do it again as I feel that this is a ministry that God has called me into!
This is the last blog entry! Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Week 8 - Westlock
Last week of camp. Westlock is a pretty small town so the churches combined for one camp. We drove in and went inside the church and the first thing we noticed on sunday night was the lack of a coordinator. We were waiting for one, but there were only 3 volunteers. Turns out the coordinator was a farmer and that harvest had arrived early, so he was pretty much busy the whole week and would not be able to help. This proved to be a problem as the coordinator is in charge of all the volunteers and has all the registration sheets and all the information about the campers. We found ourselves with 3 volunteers who had no idea what they were doing, but they were all willing to do whatever needed to be done. (by the way this group of volunteers were even older than the last camps)
Day 1, we had about 15 kids at this camp which was really small, about the size of the fushion camp as well. I was presented with head coach duties by Bev for the first 3 days this week. I really did not want to do it, I didn't really feel like head coach was my kind of thing. However I decided to give it a shot since it was a small camp and it was the last week anyways. Luckily for me my head coach responsibilities remained in camp and not outside. So all I had to really do was run the camp by keeping everything moving and keeping track of time. First day went well except that none of the kids in the camp were skilled in soccer except for one boy. You might be wondering why that's a problem. Well first day world cup we knew he was more skilled than every other player, so we put him on a team with 2 younger kids. Each team played 3 games, and the skilled player (Patrick) scored over 10 goals a game while the others scored 0. So obviously that was not enjoyable for all the other campers, not enjoyable for me to ref, and I doubt it was very enjoyable to Patrick either.
Day 2 , we get more volunteers for the week which was awesome. This meant that we could have coaches play during world cup just like in fushion. This ended up working out great so thank goodness we got more volunteers to balance out the games. Small group was good too, since we had so little kids we just did 2 small groups with 2 coaches in each. We had some good discussion about sin and the kids asked some good questions about the ten commandments and the adam and eve story. We had a boy named Jaxon who would tell us everyday how many pages he had read on his bible which was great. I was so glad to hear him talk about the stories that he read in the Bible as opposed to the tv shows he watched or the video games that he played last night. He's 9-10 years old and he's watching a lot of stuff that he should not be watching, but that stuff doesn't really surprise me anymore.
Day 3- We only had Brittany for the morning as she had to go in for some tests and surgery on her legs. It had been a problem for a long time and its continually gotten worse, and the doctor says that she will need surgery if she ever wants to play competetive soccer again. I'm not too sure about the specifics but something about relieving the pressure in her legs by draining the fluid. From what I hear it's quite the painful process, they stick giant needles into her legs and have her run for 30-40 minutes to measure muscle contractions or something like that. We all prayed for her before she left, and camp still went pretty smooth for the rest of the day. Brittany was out of the hospital later that afternoon and she joined us for dinner.
Day 4- It was Kaitlyn's last day with our team. She had decided that she would go back to Calgary later on the afternoon to join her soccer team's preseason games. It was pretty sad and emotional when she left, only for Brittany though. Just kidding, Lane and I said our goodbyes too, and we missed her too.
Day 5- Last day of camp for the summer, and to be honest Lane and I couldn't have been happier. I knew I would miss it later but at that time it was a huge relief. The week had dragged on so long, and it felt like the week was taking forever to finish. But it was a good camp, and I'm happy to say our team finished strong. except for Kaitlyn, she ditched us.
Day 1, we had about 15 kids at this camp which was really small, about the size of the fushion camp as well. I was presented with head coach duties by Bev for the first 3 days this week. I really did not want to do it, I didn't really feel like head coach was my kind of thing. However I decided to give it a shot since it was a small camp and it was the last week anyways. Luckily for me my head coach responsibilities remained in camp and not outside. So all I had to really do was run the camp by keeping everything moving and keeping track of time. First day went well except that none of the kids in the camp were skilled in soccer except for one boy. You might be wondering why that's a problem. Well first day world cup we knew he was more skilled than every other player, so we put him on a team with 2 younger kids. Each team played 3 games, and the skilled player (Patrick) scored over 10 goals a game while the others scored 0. So obviously that was not enjoyable for all the other campers, not enjoyable for me to ref, and I doubt it was very enjoyable to Patrick either.
Day 2 , we get more volunteers for the week which was awesome. This meant that we could have coaches play during world cup just like in fushion. This ended up working out great so thank goodness we got more volunteers to balance out the games. Small group was good too, since we had so little kids we just did 2 small groups with 2 coaches in each. We had some good discussion about sin and the kids asked some good questions about the ten commandments and the adam and eve story. We had a boy named Jaxon who would tell us everyday how many pages he had read on his bible which was great. I was so glad to hear him talk about the stories that he read in the Bible as opposed to the tv shows he watched or the video games that he played last night. He's 9-10 years old and he's watching a lot of stuff that he should not be watching, but that stuff doesn't really surprise me anymore.
Day 3- We only had Brittany for the morning as she had to go in for some tests and surgery on her legs. It had been a problem for a long time and its continually gotten worse, and the doctor says that she will need surgery if she ever wants to play competetive soccer again. I'm not too sure about the specifics but something about relieving the pressure in her legs by draining the fluid. From what I hear it's quite the painful process, they stick giant needles into her legs and have her run for 30-40 minutes to measure muscle contractions or something like that. We all prayed for her before she left, and camp still went pretty smooth for the rest of the day. Brittany was out of the hospital later that afternoon and she joined us for dinner.
Day 4- It was Kaitlyn's last day with our team. She had decided that she would go back to Calgary later on the afternoon to join her soccer team's preseason games. It was pretty sad and emotional when she left, only for Brittany though. Just kidding, Lane and I said our goodbyes too, and we missed her too.
Day 5- Last day of camp for the summer, and to be honest Lane and I couldn't have been happier. I knew I would miss it later but at that time it was a huge relief. The week had dragged on so long, and it felt like the week was taking forever to finish. But it was a good camp, and I'm happy to say our team finished strong. except for Kaitlyn, she ditched us.
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Week 7- Terwiliger Community Church
Going into this camp, I knew that Terwiliger was obviously a wealthy community. I was interested to see the difference between the kids there compared to the kids at fushion. We headed to the pastor's house for orientation on sunday night where we met all the volunteers. It was the oldest group of volunteers we have had so far. Most of the volunteers were in their 20s and 30s and were school teachers; in fact we were told that Terwiliger community church had a lot of teachers in there. It was interesting and I was a bit unsure of how camp would run with so many teachers. The other alberta team had previously encountered problems working with some teachers at their camps. They had told us that teachers usually want to do their own thing and have their own teaching style and that some of them did not listen to the coaches at all. Luckily for us, the volunteers there were not like that, they were quite awesome. None of them knew how to play soccer though (except for one phys ed teacher), one of them had never even touched a soccer ball until camp!
First day in, we knew it was going to be a big camp. 63 kids had registered, it was the biggest camp we've had so far. The max for a camp is 60 kids for 4 AIA coaches, but we decided that an extra 3 wouldn't really make a difference. We headed to the field in the morning, and to our surprised the grass was disgustingly long. Which once again...meant mosquitoes. The first day went pretty well to my surprise. Most kids listened pretty well and were pretty good in general. It was hard to setup a lot of the stations and games because the grass was so long though. We once again prayed for the grass to be cut. During debrief we found out that during small group time, a kid had told a coach on the U-talk form that he was scared of his dad. We'll call this camper Joe. Joe told the coach that he was scared of his dad because he beats him, and that he didn't want to write it on the form because his dad would beat him even harder if he ever found out. We decided to be careful of how we approached this situation. We didn't want to report anything because we were unsure. The family just recently came from Columbia so it's definitely a different culture there. Well I mean outside of North America, parents from pretty much every other culture beat their kids for disciplinary purposes. The fact could also be that the kid was exaggerating and making it seem a lot worse than it is. And last of all, reporting something like that really tears a family apart. If the dad gets taken away, etc. So we all just decided to observe him and his brothers for the next couple of days before taking any action.
Day 2 we went to the field to see the grass still uncut. But just as we were about to setup, we saw a giant city lawnmower cutting the grass on the field across from us. One of the volunteers went up to him and asked if he could cut ours as well, he agreed and our grass finally got cut before the day started! It was our third time that God had answered our prayers the very next day by cutting the grass. All 3 times were in edmonton (because the city never maintains its field *cough*), once during NEAC, once during fushion, and once at TCC. It was great to see God taking care of the little things for us so that we could focus on the bigger things. During lunch it started raining really hard so we had to take shelter at a nearby gazebo in the park. The plan was to wait the rain out so we could go back outside and play later. However, that was not the case because the rain kept coming down, so we ended up calling parents to the field for pickup and my team and I got off work early that day! Even though we didn't play soccer that afternoon, I felt like that rain had a purpose. We had a boy in our camp called Andrea (pronounced On-dray-ah) who was from Italy and just came 2 weeks ago. He did not speak English at all and we had to communicate to him through hand gestures and so on. He had trouble playing and learning our games because of the language barrier and this was frustrating for us and for him. During that lunch though, Brittany had pulled out her phone and she was able to use the translator on her phone to communicate with him, (luckily he knew how to read and write already). That lunch we were able to find out about his family and his background, and all sorts of cool stuff about him. We built a really strong connection with this kid during that lunch. I also danced with him to Michael Jackson's thriller. Throughout the week whenever he saw me, we would both do a michael jackson pose which was pretty sweet.
Day 3 I had two boys in my group tell me that they wanted to accept Jesus. Usually when I lead a child to do the prayer, I have them repeat after me. But that day I had them pray on their own as I listened in. I felt like that way I would be able to see if they really understood what it meant or what they were actually doing and that they weren't just blindly following whatever I say. Thankfully both of these boys were sincere and they prayed the prayers themselves which was awesome. It was awesome to see the change of heart in a span of few days in one of the boys. His name was Jacob and I remember when he had told me he wanted to accept Jesus, I was quite surprised. He was often quite disruptive and a troublemaker, he was also really mean to some of the younger kids. After he had prayed, I told him that now that he has Jesus in his heart, he had to be nicer to people. He looked at me really seriously and nodded. From that moment on I don't think a single coach or volunteer had to lecture him or pull him aside for the rest of camp. It was just amazing to see how much of an impact that it had on him, and it was definitely good to see that he was taking it seriously.
Day 4 I don't remember anything from this day.
Day 5
Everything went by pretty quickly, the day was pretty smooth. In the afternoon world cup, a lot of parents showed up to watch their kids play which was good. We noticed that Joe ran over to his dad to hug him and greet him when he came which was a good sign. It's not very likely that a kid would be that excited to see his dad if he was that abusive, nor would it be very likely that the dad would even show up to support his kid. Throughout the week our volunteers haven't reported any signs of abuse like marks or anything so we felt a little bit relieved. In the end the church coordinator decided that we wouldn't report anything but that they would tell the teacher at his school to keep a look out for it. Everyone had to leave quickly after, Lane had a 9 hour drive to regina for a wedding, Kaitlyn had to go to a wedding as well, and Brittany had to head home to get ready for her grandma's interment. Busy and tiring weekend for my whole team, except for me!
First day in, we knew it was going to be a big camp. 63 kids had registered, it was the biggest camp we've had so far. The max for a camp is 60 kids for 4 AIA coaches, but we decided that an extra 3 wouldn't really make a difference. We headed to the field in the morning, and to our surprised the grass was disgustingly long. Which once again...meant mosquitoes. The first day went pretty well to my surprise. Most kids listened pretty well and were pretty good in general. It was hard to setup a lot of the stations and games because the grass was so long though. We once again prayed for the grass to be cut. During debrief we found out that during small group time, a kid had told a coach on the U-talk form that he was scared of his dad. We'll call this camper Joe. Joe told the coach that he was scared of his dad because he beats him, and that he didn't want to write it on the form because his dad would beat him even harder if he ever found out. We decided to be careful of how we approached this situation. We didn't want to report anything because we were unsure. The family just recently came from Columbia so it's definitely a different culture there. Well I mean outside of North America, parents from pretty much every other culture beat their kids for disciplinary purposes. The fact could also be that the kid was exaggerating and making it seem a lot worse than it is. And last of all, reporting something like that really tears a family apart. If the dad gets taken away, etc. So we all just decided to observe him and his brothers for the next couple of days before taking any action.
Day 2 we went to the field to see the grass still uncut. But just as we were about to setup, we saw a giant city lawnmower cutting the grass on the field across from us. One of the volunteers went up to him and asked if he could cut ours as well, he agreed and our grass finally got cut before the day started! It was our third time that God had answered our prayers the very next day by cutting the grass. All 3 times were in edmonton (because the city never maintains its field *cough*), once during NEAC, once during fushion, and once at TCC. It was great to see God taking care of the little things for us so that we could focus on the bigger things. During lunch it started raining really hard so we had to take shelter at a nearby gazebo in the park. The plan was to wait the rain out so we could go back outside and play later. However, that was not the case because the rain kept coming down, so we ended up calling parents to the field for pickup and my team and I got off work early that day! Even though we didn't play soccer that afternoon, I felt like that rain had a purpose. We had a boy in our camp called Andrea (pronounced On-dray-ah) who was from Italy and just came 2 weeks ago. He did not speak English at all and we had to communicate to him through hand gestures and so on. He had trouble playing and learning our games because of the language barrier and this was frustrating for us and for him. During that lunch though, Brittany had pulled out her phone and she was able to use the translator on her phone to communicate with him, (luckily he knew how to read and write already). That lunch we were able to find out about his family and his background, and all sorts of cool stuff about him. We built a really strong connection with this kid during that lunch. I also danced with him to Michael Jackson's thriller. Throughout the week whenever he saw me, we would both do a michael jackson pose which was pretty sweet.
Day 3 I had two boys in my group tell me that they wanted to accept Jesus. Usually when I lead a child to do the prayer, I have them repeat after me. But that day I had them pray on their own as I listened in. I felt like that way I would be able to see if they really understood what it meant or what they were actually doing and that they weren't just blindly following whatever I say. Thankfully both of these boys were sincere and they prayed the prayers themselves which was awesome. It was awesome to see the change of heart in a span of few days in one of the boys. His name was Jacob and I remember when he had told me he wanted to accept Jesus, I was quite surprised. He was often quite disruptive and a troublemaker, he was also really mean to some of the younger kids. After he had prayed, I told him that now that he has Jesus in his heart, he had to be nicer to people. He looked at me really seriously and nodded. From that moment on I don't think a single coach or volunteer had to lecture him or pull him aside for the rest of camp. It was just amazing to see how much of an impact that it had on him, and it was definitely good to see that he was taking it seriously.
Day 4 I don't remember anything from this day.
Day 5
Everything went by pretty quickly, the day was pretty smooth. In the afternoon world cup, a lot of parents showed up to watch their kids play which was good. We noticed that Joe ran over to his dad to hug him and greet him when he came which was a good sign. It's not very likely that a kid would be that excited to see his dad if he was that abusive, nor would it be very likely that the dad would even show up to support his kid. Throughout the week our volunteers haven't reported any signs of abuse like marks or anything so we felt a little bit relieved. In the end the church coordinator decided that we wouldn't report anything but that they would tell the teacher at his school to keep a look out for it. Everyone had to leave quickly after, Lane had a 9 hour drive to regina for a wedding, Kaitlyn had to go to a wedding as well, and Brittany had to head home to get ready for her grandma's interment. Busy and tiring weekend for my whole team, except for me!
Friday, 17 August 2012
Week 6- Fushion Fellowship Church
My team headed back to edmonton for this camp. The church is located on stony plain road, in a low-income kind of neighborhood. Going into the camp our team knew that this camp could be one of our tougher weeks. We would be getting kids from a different lifestyle/background and going into orientation the church only had 5 kids registered. To give you an idea of how little that is, most churches average around 30-60 campers. But yea hearing from Kaitlyn and Vince last year they didn't have that many kids either so we knew that this camp would be tough. Going into orientation we had about 7-8ish volunteers, but later on the week it would grow to be around 10. That's almost half of their congregation volunteering at the camp. Fushion fellowship may be one of the smallest churches I've ever been in, but the church has a big heart for the Lord. Their passion to go right into the community and reach into those tougher areas of our city is truly remarkable.
Day 1
We headed to field and saw that it was a mess. The grass came to my shins, the grass was still wet from the rain the night before, and of course the previous two factors are perfect conditions for mosquitoes. Hoards of them. As you may know, I attract mosquitoes where ever I go, I could spray all the mosquito repellent I want. After the first day I had around 100 mosquito bites on my legs alone, (some had been there from previous camps...but still). I just remember on day 1 I was trying to set up my warmup stations in the long grass while being swarmed by mosquitoes. Everyone of them trying to bite me. I could barely setup because I was constantly swatting mosquitoes away from my face. At that moment I just felt great anger and frustration. I felt that it was unfair and unreasonable that the conditions were like this. I couldn't understand the purpose of these mosquitoes and why they were trying to bite me. Why was the grass not cut, why was the grass so wet which made my socks wet and gross. Why am I being treated like this when all I'm trying to do is serve you God. It's been a while since that day so I can't really remember how I felt exactly. But I was just so angry and I was just questioning God angrily, what the purpose of all this was in my head. Now that I think back on it, it reminds of me Jonah and when he was sitting in the shade of the tree. God sent a worm to eat the tree which made Jonah furious. He had also questioned God why. Why did he deserve that. God said, "What's this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night.
A bit of my own self reflection reminded me to be humble and to be more grateful instead. It was a blessing and a privilege to serve and not my right. It was not something God needed me for because God does not need anyone. I had to rid myself of the arrogance, the idea that God should give me what I desire simply because it's something that I feel is right. I have no idea in the way that God was going to be working in this camp so who was I to question his way of doing things.
Later on that day our team prayed for the grass to be cut the next morning and for the mosquitoes to die down. Camp started we had about 13 kids which was a lot better than 5. Instead of doing several groups of kids, we just did one giant group of kids as we lead them through skills and games. During coaches corner we did our skits, and as usual we tried to make it overly dramatic to lighten it up. Not a single laugh was given that skit. But our team was prepared for this, we knew that the crowd was going to be a bit tougher and harder to entertain. We just carried on and did our thing, even though it was difficult because you really have to live off the camper's excitement to make it through these camps. Small groups was split into 2 groups, the kids were really talkative until we talked about anything God related.
We had to try a little harder than any other camp to get the kids excited but after lunch the kids started to warm up and have fun which was good.
Day 2
I held my breath as we drove to the field. I got out of the car and ran to the field even before getting any of my stuff. The grass was cut, an amazing answer to our prayers! Coaches' corner ran a lot smoother, the kids were more comfortable around us and lightened up. It was much better than the first day.
Day 3
Don't really remember much about this day, most of the kids said they had already made the decision to follow the Lord though.
Day 4
On day 4 we ran camps with only 3 coaches. Lane headed over to be with the other team for one day. One of the coaches on the other Alberta team was leaving for school so Lane took over for one day. At our camp we could afford to lose one coach since we had 13 kids, the other camp (with about 60ish kids I believe) however, could not. Camps still ran smoothly, smaller camps are good in a few ways. It's easier to handle and run, more relaxed, and you get to know each kid better in the camp. However games are not as fun with less kids, and there's less energy to feed off from the kids.
Later on that night we went to the church for volunteer appreciation. We had a big turkey dinner which was delicious. While eating dinner Kaitlyn was pulled aside by Bev, and then when she came back Lane was pulled away. Didn't really know what was going on, but after dinner the leaders of the church wanted to pray for each AIA coach individually. They wanted to pray for Kaitlyn first because she had to leave early. No one on our team had any idea where she would be going, we were very confused. They prayed for her for about 20 minutes and after she told us that she was going to drive home. So Lane was going to be head coach the next day. She reassured our team that nothing was wrong, and that she just needed some rest to avoid burning out. After that each one of the AIA coaches were prayed for individually. They prayed for each person for about 20 minutes which was quite long. However, when I was being prayed for it didn't feel like it. I had never been prayed for like that before. There were probably around 5-6 church leaders up there, I think a few of them had the gift of Prophecy. But they just laid hands on my head, my chest, whatever and they prayed for me. It was a pretty awesome experience for me, everyone on the team enjoyed it. The girls wrote down what they had said so they could refer to it later. I thought that was a good idea so this is a good place as any to write it. One guy said he kept seeing Robin hood when he thought of me, in the sense that I give to the poor or something like that. Not necessarily stealing from the rich but giving to the poor. And not just the financially poor but the spiritually poor he said. One other guy said he saw me as a hovercraft. In the sense that I would not be settled down in one place and that I would be moving from place to place doing God's work even after this summer. It was pretty crazy and bizarre but a cool experience. It was crazy for Brittany and Lane as well as the leaders prayed for things that in both of their lives that neither of them have ever shared with anyone (events like certain loved ones passing away) and that the prayers that were prayed upon them were just so relevant.
Day 5
Ran camp without coach, but it still went well. Last day goodbyes and hugs again. I expected Fushion to be one of my tougher camps but it turned out to be one of my favorites. By the end of the week the bonds and relationships that you build with the kids is just so wonderful, its always hard to say goodbye. It always amazes me to see how God can bring people together so closely in a matter of 5 days.
Day 1
We headed to field and saw that it was a mess. The grass came to my shins, the grass was still wet from the rain the night before, and of course the previous two factors are perfect conditions for mosquitoes. Hoards of them. As you may know, I attract mosquitoes where ever I go, I could spray all the mosquito repellent I want. After the first day I had around 100 mosquito bites on my legs alone, (some had been there from previous camps...but still). I just remember on day 1 I was trying to set up my warmup stations in the long grass while being swarmed by mosquitoes. Everyone of them trying to bite me. I could barely setup because I was constantly swatting mosquitoes away from my face. At that moment I just felt great anger and frustration. I felt that it was unfair and unreasonable that the conditions were like this. I couldn't understand the purpose of these mosquitoes and why they were trying to bite me. Why was the grass not cut, why was the grass so wet which made my socks wet and gross. Why am I being treated like this when all I'm trying to do is serve you God. It's been a while since that day so I can't really remember how I felt exactly. But I was just so angry and I was just questioning God angrily, what the purpose of all this was in my head. Now that I think back on it, it reminds of me Jonah and when he was sitting in the shade of the tree. God sent a worm to eat the tree which made Jonah furious. He had also questioned God why. Why did he deserve that. God said, "What's this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night.
A bit of my own self reflection reminded me to be humble and to be more grateful instead. It was a blessing and a privilege to serve and not my right. It was not something God needed me for because God does not need anyone. I had to rid myself of the arrogance, the idea that God should give me what I desire simply because it's something that I feel is right. I have no idea in the way that God was going to be working in this camp so who was I to question his way of doing things.
Later on that day our team prayed for the grass to be cut the next morning and for the mosquitoes to die down. Camp started we had about 13 kids which was a lot better than 5. Instead of doing several groups of kids, we just did one giant group of kids as we lead them through skills and games. During coaches corner we did our skits, and as usual we tried to make it overly dramatic to lighten it up. Not a single laugh was given that skit. But our team was prepared for this, we knew that the crowd was going to be a bit tougher and harder to entertain. We just carried on and did our thing, even though it was difficult because you really have to live off the camper's excitement to make it through these camps. Small groups was split into 2 groups, the kids were really talkative until we talked about anything God related.
We had to try a little harder than any other camp to get the kids excited but after lunch the kids started to warm up and have fun which was good.
Day 2
I held my breath as we drove to the field. I got out of the car and ran to the field even before getting any of my stuff. The grass was cut, an amazing answer to our prayers! Coaches' corner ran a lot smoother, the kids were more comfortable around us and lightened up. It was much better than the first day.
Day 3
Don't really remember much about this day, most of the kids said they had already made the decision to follow the Lord though.
Day 4
On day 4 we ran camps with only 3 coaches. Lane headed over to be with the other team for one day. One of the coaches on the other Alberta team was leaving for school so Lane took over for one day. At our camp we could afford to lose one coach since we had 13 kids, the other camp (with about 60ish kids I believe) however, could not. Camps still ran smoothly, smaller camps are good in a few ways. It's easier to handle and run, more relaxed, and you get to know each kid better in the camp. However games are not as fun with less kids, and there's less energy to feed off from the kids.
Later on that night we went to the church for volunteer appreciation. We had a big turkey dinner which was delicious. While eating dinner Kaitlyn was pulled aside by Bev, and then when she came back Lane was pulled away. Didn't really know what was going on, but after dinner the leaders of the church wanted to pray for each AIA coach individually. They wanted to pray for Kaitlyn first because she had to leave early. No one on our team had any idea where she would be going, we were very confused. They prayed for her for about 20 minutes and after she told us that she was going to drive home. So Lane was going to be head coach the next day. She reassured our team that nothing was wrong, and that she just needed some rest to avoid burning out. After that each one of the AIA coaches were prayed for individually. They prayed for each person for about 20 minutes which was quite long. However, when I was being prayed for it didn't feel like it. I had never been prayed for like that before. There were probably around 5-6 church leaders up there, I think a few of them had the gift of Prophecy. But they just laid hands on my head, my chest, whatever and they prayed for me. It was a pretty awesome experience for me, everyone on the team enjoyed it. The girls wrote down what they had said so they could refer to it later. I thought that was a good idea so this is a good place as any to write it. One guy said he kept seeing Robin hood when he thought of me, in the sense that I give to the poor or something like that. Not necessarily stealing from the rich but giving to the poor. And not just the financially poor but the spiritually poor he said. One other guy said he saw me as a hovercraft. In the sense that I would not be settled down in one place and that I would be moving from place to place doing God's work even after this summer. It was pretty crazy and bizarre but a cool experience. It was crazy for Brittany and Lane as well as the leaders prayed for things that in both of their lives that neither of them have ever shared with anyone (events like certain loved ones passing away) and that the prayers that were prayed upon them were just so relevant.
Day 5
Ran camp without coach, but it still went well. Last day goodbyes and hugs again. I expected Fushion to be one of my tougher camps but it turned out to be one of my favorites. By the end of the week the bonds and relationships that you build with the kids is just so wonderful, its always hard to say goodbye. It always amazes me to see how God can bring people together so closely in a matter of 5 days.
Week 5- Camrose
Our whole team was recovering from a sort of rough week going into Camrose. We were also just passing the halfway mark of our summer so fatigue started settling in a bit as well. However we were excited about Camrose because Phyllis (Bev's sister) was the church coordinator and she had trained all the assistant coaches quite well. The assistant coaches were prepared to lead devotions, coaches' corner and do testimonies which was awesome. Not to mention that there were over 10 of them which made leading small groups and world cup a lot easier. One thing that stuck out in this camp particularly, is that Phyllis made every single volunteer and coach pray every time we had devotions, debriefs, etc. Phyllis was really focused on building into the volunteers and she really wanted to make sure they grew in their faith this week. After our volunteer orientation we went back, Kaitlyn stayed with Britney (who is from camrose). While Lane and I headed to our billet's house which was outside of camrose. As we drove we were kind of disappointed that this house was so far and that we would not be able to sleep in as much. But..when we got there and our billets showed us around the house, we decided that it was worth the drive. We stayed in the basement and there was a home gym there, pool table, well-stocked fridge with drinks, two queen sized beds, 3 couches and a big flat screen tv. Our billets were amazing this week, they brought us snacks in the middle of the night and packed us amazing lunches everyday. They even made our beds...and restocked our fridge with drinks daily. We were spoiled, that 10-15 minute drive to Camrose didn't seem so bad after all.
Day 1
Probably one of the smoothest first days of camp so far this summer. The campers were awesome, super attentive, super skilled, great kids in general. We had two kids specifically, who were extremely skilled. Both of them were Eriks, and both of them were amazing. One of the Eriks plays on a club team, don't remember which tier but he is more skilled than pretty much all of our volunteers. The other Erik is just as amazing, he played in a swedish league a few years back I believe.(he told me his juggling record is 69) He is also the grandson of Phyllis. Both of these Erik's stood out even on the first day, everything was pretty easy for them. We were aware of their skill before camp even started so we were concerned that it would be boring for them. But these kids were amazing, since they could perform all the skills so well, they spent their time teaching the younger kids and taking on a leadership role instead. Lane and I made sure to keep them challenged though during the breaks by having them do soccer tricks or do juggling tricks like milkshakes or super sevens.
In my small group I had a few church kids but most of them were not. Anders was one of the kids who was not a church go-er he is Erik's younger brother (Phyllis' grandkids). Anders and his family are not Christians, they are always told that Christianity is the faith of their grandparents, but not something their own family believes in. Going into camp I could see that Phyllis really wanted this week to have an impact on her grandchildren.
Day 2
Camp continues to go smoothly, the assistant coaches are awesome. They have so much energy and enthusiasm, they make every skit exciting for the kids which is awesome.
Day 3
Bev made an appearance today, she was going to be with our team for the last few days of camp. It was great seeing her and catching up with her. She is going in for surgery next wednesday so she has to be well rested. The doctor says she can only work 5 hours a day, and not to over exert herself. It was great to talk to her and hear how she was doing. Her presence was an encouragement to our whole team, and we were glad to have her back. Wednesday we present the good news to the children, my favorite day. Phyllis sat in my small group as I did my gospel presentation. I asked if anyone wanted to make the decision to follow Jesus, and surprisingly no one wanted to commit but that's ok.
Day 4
The day we talk about trust training and how even after you become a Christ follower, there are tough times and you need to trust in Jesus. In my small group I asked everyone who they trusted the most. Everyone said God. I was then curious to find out why even kids who didn't go to church said they trusted God the most. I assumed that most kids said "God" because someone else before them had said it, and they were just following suit. I asked Anders if he went to church or if he was a follower of Christ. He shook his head. Then I asked him why did he trust God. He said to me quietly "well..listening to the stories from the coaches, I feel like God is someone I can trust". Hearing that really brightened my day. At the end of the day during our debriefing session, I shared that with the team and that made Phyllis really happy.
Thursaday was our volunteer appreciation dinner, we headed over to the community church. It was also Howard's birthday (Phyllis' husband), and for his present Phyllis had me tell the story of Anders to Howard. It made both of them so happy to know that God was working in their grandson's heart. Howard couldn't stop thanking me, even though we both knew that none of this was my doing but what God was doing through me. They told me that Anders and his family have never had any interest in their faith, so to hear Anders say something like that was a big deal for them. The night went on and volunteers and coaches were called up on stage and given thank yous and stuff like that. A few volunteers led worship songs. Before the night ended everyone held hands and prayed for Bev and the four AIA coaches. After that each AIA coach prayed for the volunteers and the church. After that we all prayed for healing on Bev. It was just an amazing night of prayer and worship, and you could feel the presence of the holy spirit there which was amazing. The power of prayer is amazing.
Day 5
Before I ended my small group today, I asked if anyone wanted to pray. I asked each camper if they wanted to pray, most of them said no. I asked Anders if he wanted to pray. He said "I don't know what to say". I told him that he's having a conversation with God and that he could say whatever he wanted. He agreed to try and gave thanks to God for the weather and that he could have an amazing time at soccer camp. At lunch I let Phyllis know that he had prayed today, and she was thrilled. I could tell that God worked in this soccer camp in a really special and personal way for her.
After lunch we had world cup all afternoon and pretty much every parent came to watch their kid play. The community in Camrose is amazing and the atmosphere made the games that much more exciting for the kids as well. After that it was home time, and it was kind of sad for me. This camp in particular, I built a lot of close relationships with the kids and it was sad to see them go. A lot of pictures were taken with the kids and I. Unfortunately none of those photos were taken by my camera or phone, nor would I be allowed to share them even if they were. But Camrose, definitely my favorite week so far.
Day 1
Probably one of the smoothest first days of camp so far this summer. The campers were awesome, super attentive, super skilled, great kids in general. We had two kids specifically, who were extremely skilled. Both of them were Eriks, and both of them were amazing. One of the Eriks plays on a club team, don't remember which tier but he is more skilled than pretty much all of our volunteers. The other Erik is just as amazing, he played in a swedish league a few years back I believe.(he told me his juggling record is 69) He is also the grandson of Phyllis. Both of these Erik's stood out even on the first day, everything was pretty easy for them. We were aware of their skill before camp even started so we were concerned that it would be boring for them. But these kids were amazing, since they could perform all the skills so well, they spent their time teaching the younger kids and taking on a leadership role instead. Lane and I made sure to keep them challenged though during the breaks by having them do soccer tricks or do juggling tricks like milkshakes or super sevens.
In my small group I had a few church kids but most of them were not. Anders was one of the kids who was not a church go-er he is Erik's younger brother (Phyllis' grandkids). Anders and his family are not Christians, they are always told that Christianity is the faith of their grandparents, but not something their own family believes in. Going into camp I could see that Phyllis really wanted this week to have an impact on her grandchildren.
Day 2
Camp continues to go smoothly, the assistant coaches are awesome. They have so much energy and enthusiasm, they make every skit exciting for the kids which is awesome.
Day 3
Bev made an appearance today, she was going to be with our team for the last few days of camp. It was great seeing her and catching up with her. She is going in for surgery next wednesday so she has to be well rested. The doctor says she can only work 5 hours a day, and not to over exert herself. It was great to talk to her and hear how she was doing. Her presence was an encouragement to our whole team, and we were glad to have her back. Wednesday we present the good news to the children, my favorite day. Phyllis sat in my small group as I did my gospel presentation. I asked if anyone wanted to make the decision to follow Jesus, and surprisingly no one wanted to commit but that's ok.
Day 4
The day we talk about trust training and how even after you become a Christ follower, there are tough times and you need to trust in Jesus. In my small group I asked everyone who they trusted the most. Everyone said God. I was then curious to find out why even kids who didn't go to church said they trusted God the most. I assumed that most kids said "God" because someone else before them had said it, and they were just following suit. I asked Anders if he went to church or if he was a follower of Christ. He shook his head. Then I asked him why did he trust God. He said to me quietly "well..listening to the stories from the coaches, I feel like God is someone I can trust". Hearing that really brightened my day. At the end of the day during our debriefing session, I shared that with the team and that made Phyllis really happy.
Thursaday was our volunteer appreciation dinner, we headed over to the community church. It was also Howard's birthday (Phyllis' husband), and for his present Phyllis had me tell the story of Anders to Howard. It made both of them so happy to know that God was working in their grandson's heart. Howard couldn't stop thanking me, even though we both knew that none of this was my doing but what God was doing through me. They told me that Anders and his family have never had any interest in their faith, so to hear Anders say something like that was a big deal for them. The night went on and volunteers and coaches were called up on stage and given thank yous and stuff like that. A few volunteers led worship songs. Before the night ended everyone held hands and prayed for Bev and the four AIA coaches. After that each AIA coach prayed for the volunteers and the church. After that we all prayed for healing on Bev. It was just an amazing night of prayer and worship, and you could feel the presence of the holy spirit there which was amazing. The power of prayer is amazing.
Day 5
Before I ended my small group today, I asked if anyone wanted to pray. I asked each camper if they wanted to pray, most of them said no. I asked Anders if he wanted to pray. He said "I don't know what to say". I told him that he's having a conversation with God and that he could say whatever he wanted. He agreed to try and gave thanks to God for the weather and that he could have an amazing time at soccer camp. At lunch I let Phyllis know that he had prayed today, and she was thrilled. I could tell that God worked in this soccer camp in a really special and personal way for her.
After lunch we had world cup all afternoon and pretty much every parent came to watch their kid play. The community in Camrose is amazing and the atmosphere made the games that much more exciting for the kids as well. After that it was home time, and it was kind of sad for me. This camp in particular, I built a lot of close relationships with the kids and it was sad to see them go. A lot of pictures were taken with the kids and I. Unfortunately none of those photos were taken by my camera or phone, nor would I be allowed to share them even if they were. But Camrose, definitely my favorite week so far.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Week 4- North Edmonton Alliance
I was so excited to be able to do camps at my own church. I was quite excited to hear that there were over 45 kids before I came to edmonton. I knew that there weren't that many of our own church kids attending our soccer camp so that must of meant that there were lots of kids coming from the surrounding community. I was excited to hear about the list of volunteers we had as well. As soon as camps started I felt like this camp would be challenging. The kids I had in my warm up were really talkative and not very skilled or coordinated. It was already quite a big difference compared to the other camps so far this summer. The kids didn't listen as well and a lot of them got distracted very easily. I'll be completely honest with you guys, last week was a tough week for me and for those of you who volunteered, may have seen my frustration at times. I felt like I was spending more time trying to get the kids to pay attention than teaching the skills and fast footwork. I admit I even wanted to throw in the towel on a few occasions. It was just a week where I felt exhausted and I have nothing left to give. However, amidst all that my small group was the highlight of my week. I had the opportunity to build an awesome relationship with the kids in my small group. Every camp I go to, I usually find a kid to connect with and I try to build into them the whole week. Last week I felt that connection with the kids in my small group and it was great. 3 of my campers in small group came to the Lord, it was awesome. I'm so thankful for those campers and I continue to pray that they will learn to trust and rely on God and deepen their walk with him.
Overall the week of camp at my church has been my toughest week so far. But by no means does a tough week mean a bad week. I was able to serve alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ, and even see some of the spiritual growth that has been happening inside them. It was a week of stretching and growth for me as well. I definitely had fun back home and was glad to see our community reached through our church.
Overall the week of camp at my church has been my toughest week so far. But by no means does a tough week mean a bad week. I was able to serve alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ, and even see some of the spiritual growth that has been happening inside them. It was a week of stretching and growth for me as well. I definitely had fun back home and was glad to see our community reached through our church.
Week 3- Rocky Mountain House
Our team was greeted by a bunch of friendly teenagers in front of the church as we arrived. We made our way into the church to meet the coordinator/pastor and our 2 volunteers. They were brothers, the older one was Jordan (18) and he had been volunteering for AIA soccer camps for 5 years. The younger one Riley (15) was volunteering for the first time. We were quite surprised that there were only 2 volunteers at this camp. but that's more than enough when you only have 20-22 kids. After debrief we went to our billets place. Our billets had enough rooms for all the coaches so our whole team stayed together for the whole week which was pretty awesome. The week ran pretty smoothly for the most part. The only problems we had were with the twins Carter and Connor. Both of these kids were exceptionally skilled compared to the rest of the camp, they were both great kids as well. They showed great leadership quality to the younger kids, and were always attentive and helpful. However when Carter's team played Connor's team in world cup (the scrimmage), all hell broke loose. There were profanities on the field, punching, kicking, reckless slide-tackling, you name it. We had to threaten to disqualify both their teams in world cup (which is a huge deal to the kids) in an effort to cool them down. In the end, neither one of the twins won the world cup anyway which was good. If either one of them had won, the other twin would have completely lost it. hmm both skilled players who win regular season games but choke in the playoffs. reminds me of the sedin sisters. Other than that, the week was really relaxed, 20ish kids was really easy to deal with. Not to mention that the kids were all pretty good (except the twins during world cup). My small group consisted mainly of church kids. I had some meaningful discussion with Carter and some of the older kids about some of the deeper topics which was good. Overall a great week with great kids
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Week 2 Crossfield/Carstairs
Met up with my team in Carstairs. Carstairs is about 10-15 minutes
from Crossfield and is where my head coach and my billets lived. (the
actual camp is at crossfield) Lane and I were pretty disappointed to
learn that we would be separated for the week and that we would be
staying at different houses. The billets who were supposed to house us
dropped out last minute and we stayed at different areas. I stayed with
the church coordinator Louie and his family. We had volunteer
orientation in Louie's basement where we met most of the volunteers.
Louie had 2 daughters around my age who were both volunteering for
soccer camp. The other volunteers were all about the same age as well,
so we were relieved to have some more mature volunteers. It was also
nice to have more volunteers, we have around 7-8 this camp. After
orientation I got a tour of the house and decided to go bed early
instead of watching a movie.
Day 1
Woke up this morning at 6ish and killed time until we had to head out. I got to know Louie a bit better during the 15 minute drive to the field. Louie's in his mid to late 40s and says he's been a soccer coach for decades. He still plays in a soccer league and is able to keep up with guys in their 30s he says. Louie is an engineer for air canada and fixes airplanes in Calgary, he also taxis them around the airport. He also tells me that if he has spare time in his shift, he's allowed to fly the flight simulator which is an exact replica of the actual cockpit. I asked him if he could technically fly a real plane if he had to. He said yes he'd probably do quite well, mind you he said he might wet his pants doing so though.
Camp went smoothly, having a lot of volunteers made a huge difference. There were only about 36 kids compared to 55 at cochrane, so definitely less chaotic. The only complaint I have is that my small group gets distracted really easily and there 3 kids who are quite disruptive. I had a few kids who weren't church kids so it's going to be interesting to see how they respond to coach's corner throughout the week. It was a super hot day so we had water guns to spray the kids and cool them off, which worked really well actually. After the first day of camp, none of the coaches had any major concerns except for the heat. Thank goodness we have 2 tents and water guns.
After camp Louie asked if me and the other coaches would be interested in an adult drop in soccer game in Didsbury (15 minutes from Carstairs) . After a bit of debate we said we would go. Louie and I left after a quick dinner and we drove to the field. My team texted me saying they would arrive together but they would be quite late. I really didn't want to play and to make matters worse my team wouldn't even be there until later. Everyone there was pretty big, skill level was decently high as well. (There were a few club players) I was really nervous to start and had some terrible touches, but after a while it got better. During half, Kaitlyn and Lane arrived and they were both on my team, with those 2 feeding me and Louie we dominated the rest of the game.
Day 2
Camp was good I still have a lot of trouble with my small group. The big 3 are still talking quite a bit and I'm finding it hard to squeeze an meaningful contribution from any of them.
After camp we went to Kaitlyn's house for supper and some games. We got a call from Bev and that she's been bedridden after coming home from the hospital. She's on a liquid diet which sucks. She has to wait until the end of July for a CAT scan. However in the midst of all this God continues to work. Bev told the doctor that hopefully God would heal her so that the scan wouldn't be necessary. The doctor asked her if she really believed that and Bev said yes. Bev told the doctor how she was miraculously cure of her epilepsy in her youth. The doctor didn't seem all that shocked and said that he's seen miracles before too. After the doctor left the room, the patient sharing the room with Bev came up to her and asked if God really did heal her. Bev said yes and had the opportunity to share a bit about God. She left the patient her number and now they will meet for coffee the next time Bev is in Red Deer. Our team was not the least bit surprised to hear that story, that was so Bev. Such a strong woman of God, and to put so much faith in God for her healing and to use an opportunity that God had given to her to evangelize even amidst her sickness. I think she inspires every single AIA coach with her faith, and for myself I definitely look up to her, and strive to be like her in my walk with God.
Afterwards we did devotions and talked about how frusturating small groups were. Kaitlyn told us to pray for our small group members individually. The idea of it was so obvious and so duhhh. Yet it never occurred to me to do so. Going to give it a try before bed tonight.
Day 3
Some terrible news, a kid we had yesterday was seriously injured. His wrist was struck by a ball shot from a volunteer. He has a broken wrist and a dislocated elbow. Today he didn't come to camp, and the coordinator gave everyone a serious lecture about shooting the balls. There really shouldn't be any reason that the volunteers or coaches should be shooting the ball full power at the net when there are kids there. It really should be common sense but over the past few days we have had an enormous amount of injuries due to hard shots. (quite a few from the volunteers) It's just unfortunate that something like that has to happen to a kid. Especially since the injury was from a volunteer and from something that shouldn't have happened anyway. It's just bad for everyone when these things happen, bad for the church, the family, and AIA.
On a brighter note, God answered my prayers today because my small groups went a lot better. The chatter was greaaaaatly reduced. I had 3 kids in my group come to Christ today, 2 of which were the very disruptive ones. It was a pretty amazing experience for me. As cliche as this sounds, I put God in a box a lot of the times. I find myself assuming in who God will work in and how he will work. But you learn to expect the unexpected with God because his way of working is beyond what we can comprehend. In my small group I also have an older kid named Greg, who was the most skilled soccer player in camp. He was also very mature for his age, and had great leadership quality. I asked him if he wanted to make the decision to follow Jesus, but he told me he had already done it last year. He listened in as I prayed with the 3 campers.
Day 4
God continues to answer my prayer request in small groups. I've prayed for a shy quiet girl in my small group called Christiana to open up to me. She hasn't spoken a single word in our small group, and has refused to share anything at all every time I ask her to. Today we were learning how to trust Jesus and I asked if any of them have ever experienced difficult times or had a time of weakness. Christiana raised up her hand and I was really excited to call on her. However, when I asked her to share, she froze up and remained silent. I told her she could tell me the story during lunch time. When lunch time came, she told me that she would tell me at the end of the day. At the end of the day, i forgot. fail..
Day 5
Before small groups today I asked Christiana if she wanted to share her story, but she didn't want other members to listen in. So I asked her to tell me at lunch, again. During small group I handed out the U-talk forms our and had them fill out the backside. When I took the forms in I noticed Greg ticked off the "I've decided to follow Jesus Christ for the first time this week". This came as a surprise to me as he told me yesterday that he had already done it before. I didn't feel it necessary to ask him about it. Whether it's his first time committing or a re-commitment I just think it's important that he made that decision himself and that he understands what it means to commit himself to Jesus. What do you guys think? I asked him who he prayed with and he said he prayed on his own, and I realized that he prayed the same prayer I prayed yesterday in small group.
I spent my whole lunch with Christiana so she could tell me her story. She finally did and it was something about being locked in her grandma's bathroom or something like that. I knew to her that this story was probably a big deal, and even just sharing it with me was a huge step for her. I was just glad that she had finally decided to talk and share something meaningful about herself, and for that I was very grateful. She opened up to me a bit more during lunch, and we had conversations about snacks and birthdays, things like that. I was a bit disappointed that she decided to open up to me on the last day of camp, and wish she would have done so a few days earlier. For a brief moment I thought to God, "if you had only done this a few days earlier, maybe I would have been able to connect with her better and help her accept Jesus." How was I supposed to reach her with the gospel on the last day of camp. But I was reminded of the team devotion I had earlier this week. That everything will go according to God's will and not mine. My head coach said that she views everyone's spiritual journey as a timeline, and we all fit on different parts of these kid's timelines. Some of the kids are in that part of their spiritual journey where they are ready to accept Jesus, and it's time for us to reap what has been sown. For other kids like Christiana, we're just planting the seeds that our God has provided for us. And it may not be in our place to lead them to Christ, but to push them onto the next part of their spiritual journey and ready them for someone else to do so. This was just something I was reminded of this week. Us coaches have planted many seeds this week, but it may not be in God's plan for us to see the harvest. But we have faith that God will carry out what we have started, and in that I find great joy in what I do.
Day 1
Woke up this morning at 6ish and killed time until we had to head out. I got to know Louie a bit better during the 15 minute drive to the field. Louie's in his mid to late 40s and says he's been a soccer coach for decades. He still plays in a soccer league and is able to keep up with guys in their 30s he says. Louie is an engineer for air canada and fixes airplanes in Calgary, he also taxis them around the airport. He also tells me that if he has spare time in his shift, he's allowed to fly the flight simulator which is an exact replica of the actual cockpit. I asked him if he could technically fly a real plane if he had to. He said yes he'd probably do quite well, mind you he said he might wet his pants doing so though.
Camp went smoothly, having a lot of volunteers made a huge difference. There were only about 36 kids compared to 55 at cochrane, so definitely less chaotic. The only complaint I have is that my small group gets distracted really easily and there 3 kids who are quite disruptive. I had a few kids who weren't church kids so it's going to be interesting to see how they respond to coach's corner throughout the week. It was a super hot day so we had water guns to spray the kids and cool them off, which worked really well actually. After the first day of camp, none of the coaches had any major concerns except for the heat. Thank goodness we have 2 tents and water guns.
After camp Louie asked if me and the other coaches would be interested in an adult drop in soccer game in Didsbury (15 minutes from Carstairs) . After a bit of debate we said we would go. Louie and I left after a quick dinner and we drove to the field. My team texted me saying they would arrive together but they would be quite late. I really didn't want to play and to make matters worse my team wouldn't even be there until later. Everyone there was pretty big, skill level was decently high as well. (There were a few club players) I was really nervous to start and had some terrible touches, but after a while it got better. During half, Kaitlyn and Lane arrived and they were both on my team, with those 2 feeding me and Louie we dominated the rest of the game.
Day 2
Camp was good I still have a lot of trouble with my small group. The big 3 are still talking quite a bit and I'm finding it hard to squeeze an meaningful contribution from any of them.
After camp we went to Kaitlyn's house for supper and some games. We got a call from Bev and that she's been bedridden after coming home from the hospital. She's on a liquid diet which sucks. She has to wait until the end of July for a CAT scan. However in the midst of all this God continues to work. Bev told the doctor that hopefully God would heal her so that the scan wouldn't be necessary. The doctor asked her if she really believed that and Bev said yes. Bev told the doctor how she was miraculously cure of her epilepsy in her youth. The doctor didn't seem all that shocked and said that he's seen miracles before too. After the doctor left the room, the patient sharing the room with Bev came up to her and asked if God really did heal her. Bev said yes and had the opportunity to share a bit about God. She left the patient her number and now they will meet for coffee the next time Bev is in Red Deer. Our team was not the least bit surprised to hear that story, that was so Bev. Such a strong woman of God, and to put so much faith in God for her healing and to use an opportunity that God had given to her to evangelize even amidst her sickness. I think she inspires every single AIA coach with her faith, and for myself I definitely look up to her, and strive to be like her in my walk with God.
Afterwards we did devotions and talked about how frusturating small groups were. Kaitlyn told us to pray for our small group members individually. The idea of it was so obvious and so duhhh. Yet it never occurred to me to do so. Going to give it a try before bed tonight.
Day 3
Some terrible news, a kid we had yesterday was seriously injured. His wrist was struck by a ball shot from a volunteer. He has a broken wrist and a dislocated elbow. Today he didn't come to camp, and the coordinator gave everyone a serious lecture about shooting the balls. There really shouldn't be any reason that the volunteers or coaches should be shooting the ball full power at the net when there are kids there. It really should be common sense but over the past few days we have had an enormous amount of injuries due to hard shots. (quite a few from the volunteers) It's just unfortunate that something like that has to happen to a kid. Especially since the injury was from a volunteer and from something that shouldn't have happened anyway. It's just bad for everyone when these things happen, bad for the church, the family, and AIA.
On a brighter note, God answered my prayers today because my small groups went a lot better. The chatter was greaaaaatly reduced. I had 3 kids in my group come to Christ today, 2 of which were the very disruptive ones. It was a pretty amazing experience for me. As cliche as this sounds, I put God in a box a lot of the times. I find myself assuming in who God will work in and how he will work. But you learn to expect the unexpected with God because his way of working is beyond what we can comprehend. In my small group I also have an older kid named Greg, who was the most skilled soccer player in camp. He was also very mature for his age, and had great leadership quality. I asked him if he wanted to make the decision to follow Jesus, but he told me he had already done it last year. He listened in as I prayed with the 3 campers.
Day 4
God continues to answer my prayer request in small groups. I've prayed for a shy quiet girl in my small group called Christiana to open up to me. She hasn't spoken a single word in our small group, and has refused to share anything at all every time I ask her to. Today we were learning how to trust Jesus and I asked if any of them have ever experienced difficult times or had a time of weakness. Christiana raised up her hand and I was really excited to call on her. However, when I asked her to share, she froze up and remained silent. I told her she could tell me the story during lunch time. When lunch time came, she told me that she would tell me at the end of the day. At the end of the day, i forgot. fail..
Day 5
Before small groups today I asked Christiana if she wanted to share her story, but she didn't want other members to listen in. So I asked her to tell me at lunch, again. During small group I handed out the U-talk forms our and had them fill out the backside. When I took the forms in I noticed Greg ticked off the "I've decided to follow Jesus Christ for the first time this week". This came as a surprise to me as he told me yesterday that he had already done it before. I didn't feel it necessary to ask him about it. Whether it's his first time committing or a re-commitment I just think it's important that he made that decision himself and that he understands what it means to commit himself to Jesus. What do you guys think? I asked him who he prayed with and he said he prayed on his own, and I realized that he prayed the same prayer I prayed yesterday in small group.
I spent my whole lunch with Christiana so she could tell me her story. She finally did and it was something about being locked in her grandma's bathroom or something like that. I knew to her that this story was probably a big deal, and even just sharing it with me was a huge step for her. I was just glad that she had finally decided to talk and share something meaningful about herself, and for that I was very grateful. She opened up to me a bit more during lunch, and we had conversations about snacks and birthdays, things like that. I was a bit disappointed that she decided to open up to me on the last day of camp, and wish she would have done so a few days earlier. For a brief moment I thought to God, "if you had only done this a few days earlier, maybe I would have been able to connect with her better and help her accept Jesus." How was I supposed to reach her with the gospel on the last day of camp. But I was reminded of the team devotion I had earlier this week. That everything will go according to God's will and not mine. My head coach said that she views everyone's spiritual journey as a timeline, and we all fit on different parts of these kid's timelines. Some of the kids are in that part of their spiritual journey where they are ready to accept Jesus, and it's time for us to reap what has been sown. For other kids like Christiana, we're just planting the seeds that our God has provided for us. And it may not be in our place to lead them to Christ, but to push them onto the next part of their spiritual journey and ready them for someone else to do so. This was just something I was reminded of this week. Us coaches have planted many seeds this week, but it may not be in God's plan for us to see the harvest. But we have faith that God will carry out what we have started, and in that I find great joy in what I do.
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Week 1 Cochrane
Headed to Cochrane straight from summer camp, met my team at the Tim Hortons there. Some parents recognized our shirts and were excited to meet us because their kids were going to camp the next day. Headed to volunteer orientation after going over plans for the week. An amazing amount of 0 volunteers showed up to the orientation that night. The coordinator told us that we had 55 kids signed up, but only 4 volunteers. One of the volunteers would only be there in the morning, the other three volunteers were still really young. (12, 13, and 15) Bev, our Alberta coach coordinator decided she would stay the week to help us out with that problem. After orientation Lane (my teammate) and I drove to our billets house, and just introduced ourselves to their family. Our billets were Scott and Lorraine, they had 3 kids, their daughter who was the youngest was in our camp (super cute). They also have a pet rabbit named Jack, and if you follow me on facebook, you would know that Jack decided to chew my earphones into several pieces. I felt pretty nervous that night, didn't really know what to expect for camps, kept on praying that everything would just run smoothly with so little volunteers. I was still worrying a bit about how I would lead some of the drills and stations.
Day 1
Woke up at around 7:20, Lane and I made lunch ate breakfast and headed to the field at 8 where we did devotions with the rest of the team. (also....it's so cold in the morning there!) Kids started pouring in at around 9, and we just played pass with some of the kids. I was nervous as I started to lead some of the skills and drills but it got much better throughout the day. Volunteers turned out to be much more helpful than we expected. Even the young volunteers were quite mature for their age, and it made it a lot easier for us coaches. In Coach's corner we talked about the theme "one in a million" and how everyone is special in God's eyes. During small groups, we have each camper fill in a "u-talk form". It asks questions like "who do you think God is", "do you attend church", and "what question would you like to ask God?". It basically assess where each camper is in their spiritual life, which better helps us coaches and volunteers to better cater to their needs. We had one girl in my small group called Emily who said she didn't attend church but she was really excited to learn more about all this Bible and Jesus stuff. We were excited to tell her more but her mother was really uncomfortable with us sharing the gospel. She had told our coordinator that she didn't want us "indoctrinating her with bible stories". So Bev switched her out of my small group into hers the next day.
Day 2
I definitely felt a bit more confident leading some of the games and drills. I was still a bit nervous and would forget to explain some key points once in a while, but I was doing much better than I expected I would. We learned about red card in Coach's corner and how the red card seperates us from the game of soccer, just like how sin seperates us from God. Small groups went pretty well, most of my kids were church kids and only a few were not. During lunch it started to rain and there was a thunder storm, followed by hail. The kids were freaking out and we had to go under a shelter. After a while, it stopped so we went back to the field and played world cup. The coordinator called the parents and told them that they could come early and pick up the kids if they were worried about the weather. Almost all of the kids left, and the coaches played a game of world cup with the remaining kids. During debrief, Bev had told us that Emily had accepted Christ, which was really exciting for all of us. It was a heartwarming story actually, another camper called Ridley had been friends with Emily for years. Ridley had always told Emily about Jesus and had prayed for Emily for 2 years, but each time Emily was not quite sure she wanted anything to do with it. However, she decided that day she would accept Christ, and afterwards she went and told Ridley. As expected the girls were super excited, and so were the coaches, it was a moment of pure joy.
Day 3
I had to lead devotions that morning, also it was my turn to share my story during coach's corner. The nerves definitely came back again for. I was worried about the length of my story, and whether I would be able to engage the kids for my whole message. I also hadn't completely memorized my story yet and I was worried about forgetting bits of pieces of it during coaches corner. But God was with me as I told my story, and I could feel that the kids were listening. I was telling a story about grace, and how grace was something we didn't deserve. Just like how we don't deserve salvation from Jesus, and it's only by God's grace that we are saved. During small groups I explained to my campers the fall of man, and how God sent Jesus to die for us. Now they could either choose to follow the path of the world or follow the path of Jesus Christ. I explained the consequences of choosing each path, and asked if anyone was willing to choose the path of Jesus. Most of the kids told me they had already chosen that path, so I sent them off to go eat lunch while I prayed for the ones that haven't yet. The holy spirit moved two of the campers in my small group to accept Christ which was definitely the highlight of my day.
Day 4
We started the day with some bad news. Bev had texted the girls saying that she had food poisoning, and later on we found out that it might have something to do with her appendix. Needless to say it was a quite a big gap to fill in for our team as we were already short volunteers. We asked the coordinator to do Bev's small group but she had to leave before then. So we ended up pushing coaches corner earlier than usual so that we could accommodate her. In coach's corner we talked about trusting in Jesus after you have accepted him. To rely on him through your difficulties. For myself it was a great time of reflection. The verse we had the kids memorize was 2 Corinthians 12:9 " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness". As I was explaining the verse to the kids in my small group, I was just reminded of how that verse related to me so well this week. I was able to see God's power this week because of my weakness. In my state of weakness I came to the realization that my power is not enough, and that I had to rely on God. Too often I do not rely on God because I feel like my own power is sufficient in completing the task at hand. Only when I am completely powerless and weak, is when I have asked for God's help. Looking back on my life the times where I have asked for help from God, is when I have truly experienced his power. For me that is how I came to understand this verse, that when we are weak that is when we rely on God the most and that is when we allow him to show us his awesome power.
Day 5
Last day and Bev was still not doing that well so she wasn't able to join our team. Our whole team knew it must have been bad if she had missed two days of camp. Bev has such a passion for AIA ministry and such a great love for the coaches and kids, that if she isn't able to come, she really isn't able to come. So we spent a few minutes praying for her and doing devotions again. Friday is a bit different from all the other camp days, we don't do skills, fast footwork, juggling, or euro cup. After the fun run and group game we do a soccer olympics. We divide all the kids into 4 teams and each coach sets up a station where the teams try to score as many points as they can. Afterwards we award the winning team with plastic gold medals from dollar store and the kids love it. After olympics we have coaches' corner, where we talked about being on team Jesus, and how we have to support each other as Christ followers and practice our "spiritual skills and drills". After lunch we just play world cup and the winners get to pose with a trophy. Like the end of every soccer camp I've helped at, it's always a bitter-sweet moment. Your glad that it's over and you can relax for a bit, but at the same time you miss the kids so much. It always gets to me when a kid comes up to me and hugs me before they leave. Sometimes you build such good relationships with certain kids you don't want it to end, and it's sad to think that you'll never see some of them again.
Overall this was a good week, my team members and I had to work out some jitters and nerves at first, but now that the first week is over we're hoping that the next camp will go even better. Next camp is at Crossfield and the camp we're doing is actually my head coach's home church.
Day 1
Woke up at around 7:20, Lane and I made lunch ate breakfast and headed to the field at 8 where we did devotions with the rest of the team. (also....it's so cold in the morning there!) Kids started pouring in at around 9, and we just played pass with some of the kids. I was nervous as I started to lead some of the skills and drills but it got much better throughout the day. Volunteers turned out to be much more helpful than we expected. Even the young volunteers were quite mature for their age, and it made it a lot easier for us coaches. In Coach's corner we talked about the theme "one in a million" and how everyone is special in God's eyes. During small groups, we have each camper fill in a "u-talk form". It asks questions like "who do you think God is", "do you attend church", and "what question would you like to ask God?". It basically assess where each camper is in their spiritual life, which better helps us coaches and volunteers to better cater to their needs. We had one girl in my small group called Emily who said she didn't attend church but she was really excited to learn more about all this Bible and Jesus stuff. We were excited to tell her more but her mother was really uncomfortable with us sharing the gospel. She had told our coordinator that she didn't want us "indoctrinating her with bible stories". So Bev switched her out of my small group into hers the next day.
Day 2
I definitely felt a bit more confident leading some of the games and drills. I was still a bit nervous and would forget to explain some key points once in a while, but I was doing much better than I expected I would. We learned about red card in Coach's corner and how the red card seperates us from the game of soccer, just like how sin seperates us from God. Small groups went pretty well, most of my kids were church kids and only a few were not. During lunch it started to rain and there was a thunder storm, followed by hail. The kids were freaking out and we had to go under a shelter. After a while, it stopped so we went back to the field and played world cup. The coordinator called the parents and told them that they could come early and pick up the kids if they were worried about the weather. Almost all of the kids left, and the coaches played a game of world cup with the remaining kids. During debrief, Bev had told us that Emily had accepted Christ, which was really exciting for all of us. It was a heartwarming story actually, another camper called Ridley had been friends with Emily for years. Ridley had always told Emily about Jesus and had prayed for Emily for 2 years, but each time Emily was not quite sure she wanted anything to do with it. However, she decided that day she would accept Christ, and afterwards she went and told Ridley. As expected the girls were super excited, and so were the coaches, it was a moment of pure joy.
Day 3
I had to lead devotions that morning, also it was my turn to share my story during coach's corner. The nerves definitely came back again for. I was worried about the length of my story, and whether I would be able to engage the kids for my whole message. I also hadn't completely memorized my story yet and I was worried about forgetting bits of pieces of it during coaches corner. But God was with me as I told my story, and I could feel that the kids were listening. I was telling a story about grace, and how grace was something we didn't deserve. Just like how we don't deserve salvation from Jesus, and it's only by God's grace that we are saved. During small groups I explained to my campers the fall of man, and how God sent Jesus to die for us. Now they could either choose to follow the path of the world or follow the path of Jesus Christ. I explained the consequences of choosing each path, and asked if anyone was willing to choose the path of Jesus. Most of the kids told me they had already chosen that path, so I sent them off to go eat lunch while I prayed for the ones that haven't yet. The holy spirit moved two of the campers in my small group to accept Christ which was definitely the highlight of my day.
Day 4
We started the day with some bad news. Bev had texted the girls saying that she had food poisoning, and later on we found out that it might have something to do with her appendix. Needless to say it was a quite a big gap to fill in for our team as we were already short volunteers. We asked the coordinator to do Bev's small group but she had to leave before then. So we ended up pushing coaches corner earlier than usual so that we could accommodate her. In coach's corner we talked about trusting in Jesus after you have accepted him. To rely on him through your difficulties. For myself it was a great time of reflection. The verse we had the kids memorize was 2 Corinthians 12:9 " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness". As I was explaining the verse to the kids in my small group, I was just reminded of how that verse related to me so well this week. I was able to see God's power this week because of my weakness. In my state of weakness I came to the realization that my power is not enough, and that I had to rely on God. Too often I do not rely on God because I feel like my own power is sufficient in completing the task at hand. Only when I am completely powerless and weak, is when I have asked for God's help. Looking back on my life the times where I have asked for help from God, is when I have truly experienced his power. For me that is how I came to understand this verse, that when we are weak that is when we rely on God the most and that is when we allow him to show us his awesome power.
Day 5
Last day and Bev was still not doing that well so she wasn't able to join our team. Our whole team knew it must have been bad if she had missed two days of camp. Bev has such a passion for AIA ministry and such a great love for the coaches and kids, that if she isn't able to come, she really isn't able to come. So we spent a few minutes praying for her and doing devotions again. Friday is a bit different from all the other camp days, we don't do skills, fast footwork, juggling, or euro cup. After the fun run and group game we do a soccer olympics. We divide all the kids into 4 teams and each coach sets up a station where the teams try to score as many points as they can. Afterwards we award the winning team with plastic gold medals from dollar store and the kids love it. After olympics we have coaches' corner, where we talked about being on team Jesus, and how we have to support each other as Christ followers and practice our "spiritual skills and drills". After lunch we just play world cup and the winners get to pose with a trophy. Like the end of every soccer camp I've helped at, it's always a bitter-sweet moment. Your glad that it's over and you can relax for a bit, but at the same time you miss the kids so much. It always gets to me when a kid comes up to me and hugs me before they leave. Sometimes you build such good relationships with certain kids you don't want it to end, and it's sad to think that you'll never see some of them again.
Overall this was a good week, my team members and I had to work out some jitters and nerves at first, but now that the first week is over we're hoping that the next camp will go even better. Next camp is at Crossfield and the camp we're doing is actually my head coach's home church.
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Coach training ( Day 5) June 26th
Home day today, we went for breakfast at 8 am as usual. After that we
started packing up all our stuff, cleaning, mopping, and vacuuming all
the rooms.
Once we were done we all headed down to the river and went on canoes. The river was faster than usual today, so the camp directors stressed that it was important we stayed in the middle of the river to avoid flipping over. It was a pretty smooth ride for the most part, except my partner was slacking and not paddling while I did all the work. Made me paddle both sides! She also decided it would be fun to jump into someone else's canoe while we were heading down a fast part of the river. Funny thing is, she was so scared about flipping over before we got on the canoe. Now all of a sudden she decides to stand on the canoe, which is never a good idea and the boat kept rocking back and forth. I was really hoping and praying that I would not flip over and get wet...I already packed all my clothes. Anyways we survived, and headed back to shore where the camp directors picked us up and drove us back to the dining hall for lunch.
After lunch we sang/danced a thank you song to all of the staff there who were super friendly and awesome. (they even let us go on the canoes free of charge) Went back to the lodge and everyone started heading home.
What an amazing week it has been for me. I've learned so much from all the coaches there, as well as from God. Going into training camp I was really nervous about camps. I was so worried about how everything would run and how I would lead things. But God has just reminded me this week that he is with me through all this, and there is nothing that I cannot do with his help. Everyday I had to go out of my comfort zone this week, to do things I've never done before. But as Bev told me, that everyone needs to be stretched to grow. This week I believe that God has stretched me and I've already grown in a matter of a few days, I can't wait to see how much more growing I will do this summer and how much further God will stretch me. God has already poured so much into me, and this summer I'm looking forward to pouring back out to all the campers, churches, billets, and volunteers as well!
Once we were done we all headed down to the river and went on canoes. The river was faster than usual today, so the camp directors stressed that it was important we stayed in the middle of the river to avoid flipping over. It was a pretty smooth ride for the most part, except my partner was slacking and not paddling while I did all the work. Made me paddle both sides! She also decided it would be fun to jump into someone else's canoe while we were heading down a fast part of the river. Funny thing is, she was so scared about flipping over before we got on the canoe. Now all of a sudden she decides to stand on the canoe, which is never a good idea and the boat kept rocking back and forth. I was really hoping and praying that I would not flip over and get wet...I already packed all my clothes. Anyways we survived, and headed back to shore where the camp directors picked us up and drove us back to the dining hall for lunch.
After lunch we sang/danced a thank you song to all of the staff there who were super friendly and awesome. (they even let us go on the canoes free of charge) Went back to the lodge and everyone started heading home.
What an amazing week it has been for me. I've learned so much from all the coaches there, as well as from God. Going into training camp I was really nervous about camps. I was so worried about how everything would run and how I would lead things. But God has just reminded me this week that he is with me through all this, and there is nothing that I cannot do with his help. Everyday I had to go out of my comfort zone this week, to do things I've never done before. But as Bev told me, that everyone needs to be stretched to grow. This week I believe that God has stretched me and I've already grown in a matter of a few days, I can't wait to see how much more growing I will do this summer and how much further God will stretch me. God has already poured so much into me, and this summer I'm looking forward to pouring back out to all the campers, churches, billets, and volunteers as well!
Coach training (Day 4) June 25th
Had a super hard time waking up today because of how late I slept yesterday (or technically this morning). Definitely something I need to work on soon, sleeping earlier and getting rest.
After breakfast we talked about volunteer orientation and how to interact with coordinators and churches. How to get an idea of where the church is in terms of spiritual growth, etc. That took until lunch time.
After lunch we went for the last bit off on field training, and played some world cup with each other.
Later we went back to the lodge and Bev gave us all an hour to just meditate on John 15 so we could discuss later. I remember Jason pointing out that the chapter title was called the "the true vine" which implies that there are many false vines in the world. It was a good time of reflection for me, to see what are some of the vines I have attached myself into, that are not bearing fruit. Vines that I need to cut myself away from. Also to focus on the vine that does allow me to bear fruit, which is Jesus, and to allow God to prune me so that I will bear even more fruit.
After dinner we presented coach's corner for each day, went through the skits and memory verses etc.
Later we all sat around the lodge and Bev told us to provide encouragement for each other. So we went around the whole group discussing every individual's strengths and spiritual talents. I found it to be quite helpful, and I was able to realize some of the talents and gifts God has blessed me with. It was just a time of great encouragement for everyone. After we finished that, our coach training had concluded.
Only one more sleep til home time, and tomorrow morning is just hanging out
After breakfast we talked about volunteer orientation and how to interact with coordinators and churches. How to get an idea of where the church is in terms of spiritual growth, etc. That took until lunch time.
After lunch we went for the last bit off on field training, and played some world cup with each other.
Later we went back to the lodge and Bev gave us all an hour to just meditate on John 15 so we could discuss later. I remember Jason pointing out that the chapter title was called the "the true vine" which implies that there are many false vines in the world. It was a good time of reflection for me, to see what are some of the vines I have attached myself into, that are not bearing fruit. Vines that I need to cut myself away from. Also to focus on the vine that does allow me to bear fruit, which is Jesus, and to allow God to prune me so that I will bear even more fruit.
After dinner we presented coach's corner for each day, went through the skits and memory verses etc.
Later we all sat around the lodge and Bev told us to provide encouragement for each other. So we went around the whole group discussing every individual's strengths and spiritual talents. I found it to be quite helpful, and I was able to realize some of the talents and gifts God has blessed me with. It was just a time of great encouragement for everyone. After we finished that, our coach training had concluded.
Only one more sleep til home time, and tomorrow morning is just hanging out
Coach training (Day 3) June 24th
After 8 am breakfast we headed back to the lodge where we decided to have worship. One coach knew how to play piano, but other then that none of us were really musically talented. We sang a few hymns and that was about it.
After that we prayed for the Alberta head coaches, and then the head coaches prayed for their teammates individually after that as well. What a blessing it is to have someone lay hands on you and pray for you specifically.
After lunch we had some more on field training, trying to get familiar with the schedule of camp and things like that.
We then returned to the lodge where we had the head coaches tell their testimonies (kid version), also known as the version that they would be sharing with the kids during coach's corner. All the rookie coaches got a chance to see what that kind of looked liked, and Bev told us that we had to prepare our own and present it after dinner. We were given some time before and after dinner to prepare, I went into my room and prayed that God would reveal a story in my life that could relate to the theme of the day. I sat there for about half an hour just trying to recall something that I could use, but I was completely stuck. I panicked and stressed out for a while but, as I was walking to the dining hall for dinner I was reminded of a story I could use, what a relief. I tried to eat my dinner as quickly as possible so that I could go back to the lodge and prepare for my testimony. After another half an hour, it was time to present. If you know me...oooo boy, you know that I'm absolutely terrible at presenting or speaking to a large group. I'm a very anxious person and public speaking has always been one of my weaknesses. I tend to stutter a lot, talk too fast and usually I speak very quietly as well. This was also the first time any of our rookie coaches had done this, so we were all nervous. Before I left my room to present I just prayed to God for courage and boldness to be able to speak the right words during my testimony, not just for this presentation but as I do each camp during the summer as well.
I was one of the first few to present, and it was nerve racking for me. However as soon as I started presenting I felt this calmness that I've never felt before. I had written down my testimony and story down on 2 pages of loose-leaf paper but I didn't even have to look at it, yet the right words just came out of my mouth without thought. I could just remember thinking to myself as I was presenting "wow! where is this coming from?" I have no doubt in my mind that what happened was the work of the holy spirit, it was just this unbelievable experience for me. When it was time to give feedback and advice, I was told that I spoke very clearly and projected my voice really well. Honestly, that is the first time anyone has ever given me that feedback when I've presented...anything really. After that, the rest of the rookie coaches presented as well, and Bev told us that this was the best coach's corner presentation she has ever heard from a group of rookie coaches. That was just so encouraging for me to hear, and really gave me more confidence. At that moment I just had an overwhelming feeling of joy. Joy in the fact that I have no power or ability in my own but when I rely on God's power, he can do amazing things through me, even through my weakness. That was such a moment of relief, it felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. It just reminded me that we were created by a power God who can do anything. It reminded me not to worry, not to have this fear of incompetence I had. The fear that I couldn't lead the skills/drills or coach's corner because I've never done it before. I was reminded that if I just remain in Jesus, he will remain in me and his glory will shine through me. That if I remain faithful in Jesus, he will give me everything I need to do these camps. Reminded to be totally dependent on Jesus, because "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" John 15: 4. And that is the goal this summer, to bear fruit, to bear fruit that lasts.
After that we practiced our coach's corner session again and that finished off the night. Our group went off to practice some juggling, when Travis sunk his tooth into Lane 's forehead(my teammate) by accident. (they were both trying to head the ball) There was so much blood, that his entire forehead was covered in blood, and it would not stop gushing out. The sink pretty much turned red as well but we were able to bandage him up after it stopped bleeding.
After that we played soccer/tennis/volleyball on a beach volleyball court, which was a pretty fun bonding experience. It got dark out, and everyone went to sleep except for me and 2 other coaches. We played UNO until 1, which was a terrible idea because now it's 2 am and I have to wake up at 7:45 again for 8 am breakfast.
After that we prayed for the Alberta head coaches, and then the head coaches prayed for their teammates individually after that as well. What a blessing it is to have someone lay hands on you and pray for you specifically.
After lunch we had some more on field training, trying to get familiar with the schedule of camp and things like that.
We then returned to the lodge where we had the head coaches tell their testimonies (kid version), also known as the version that they would be sharing with the kids during coach's corner. All the rookie coaches got a chance to see what that kind of looked liked, and Bev told us that we had to prepare our own and present it after dinner. We were given some time before and after dinner to prepare, I went into my room and prayed that God would reveal a story in my life that could relate to the theme of the day. I sat there for about half an hour just trying to recall something that I could use, but I was completely stuck. I panicked and stressed out for a while but, as I was walking to the dining hall for dinner I was reminded of a story I could use, what a relief. I tried to eat my dinner as quickly as possible so that I could go back to the lodge and prepare for my testimony. After another half an hour, it was time to present. If you know me...oooo boy, you know that I'm absolutely terrible at presenting or speaking to a large group. I'm a very anxious person and public speaking has always been one of my weaknesses. I tend to stutter a lot, talk too fast and usually I speak very quietly as well. This was also the first time any of our rookie coaches had done this, so we were all nervous. Before I left my room to present I just prayed to God for courage and boldness to be able to speak the right words during my testimony, not just for this presentation but as I do each camp during the summer as well.
I was one of the first few to present, and it was nerve racking for me. However as soon as I started presenting I felt this calmness that I've never felt before. I had written down my testimony and story down on 2 pages of loose-leaf paper but I didn't even have to look at it, yet the right words just came out of my mouth without thought. I could just remember thinking to myself as I was presenting "wow! where is this coming from?" I have no doubt in my mind that what happened was the work of the holy spirit, it was just this unbelievable experience for me. When it was time to give feedback and advice, I was told that I spoke very clearly and projected my voice really well. Honestly, that is the first time anyone has ever given me that feedback when I've presented...anything really. After that, the rest of the rookie coaches presented as well, and Bev told us that this was the best coach's corner presentation she has ever heard from a group of rookie coaches. That was just so encouraging for me to hear, and really gave me more confidence. At that moment I just had an overwhelming feeling of joy. Joy in the fact that I have no power or ability in my own but when I rely on God's power, he can do amazing things through me, even through my weakness. That was such a moment of relief, it felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. It just reminded me that we were created by a power God who can do anything. It reminded me not to worry, not to have this fear of incompetence I had. The fear that I couldn't lead the skills/drills or coach's corner because I've never done it before. I was reminded that if I just remain in Jesus, he will remain in me and his glory will shine through me. That if I remain faithful in Jesus, he will give me everything I need to do these camps. Reminded to be totally dependent on Jesus, because "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" John 15: 4. And that is the goal this summer, to bear fruit, to bear fruit that lasts.
After that we practiced our coach's corner session again and that finished off the night. Our group went off to practice some juggling, when Travis sunk his tooth into Lane 's forehead(my teammate) by accident. (they were both trying to head the ball) There was so much blood, that his entire forehead was covered in blood, and it would not stop gushing out. The sink pretty much turned red as well but we were able to bandage him up after it stopped bleeding.
After that we played soccer/tennis/volleyball on a beach volleyball court, which was a pretty fun bonding experience. It got dark out, and everyone went to sleep except for me and 2 other coaches. We played UNO until 1, which was a terrible idea because now it's 2 am and I have to wake up at 7:45 again for 8 am breakfast.
Coach training (Day 2) June 23rd
Woke up at 7:45 am to get ready for 8 am breakfast. After that, all the head coaches and coaches headed back to the lodge and we discussed about how we can inspire believers and how to face adversity. After lunch, the Ontario and BC head coaches packed up and headed off to their regional trainings. Meanwhile, the Alberta teams started practicing running drills and games for the first time. We got a lot of good advice and ideas from both head coaches, as well as Jason who was a head coach last year (who has an amazing coaching ability by the way).
We split into our teams after to plan coach's corner. This is part of the day where we tell kids about Jesus and the gospel, skits are also performed and coaches tell their testimonies or stories. Obviously this is the most important part of the day, and we spent lots of time assigning roles preparing for it.
After dinner we had some discussion on how to deliver the gospel to children. Brainstormed some ideas like the 6 Cs (creation, corruption,covenant, cross, choice, coming) and the illustration of the gap between man and God which only Jesus Christ the cross could bridge.
Afterwards Bev asked if any coaches needed prayer, if they had anything in their hearts that now would be a time to share. One of the coaches shared something that really moved me. She told us how her brother and dad who were Christians have recently left their faith. Now they mock her mother and herself for being a follower of Christ and it's created a divide in between the family. She was crying and she said it was especially difficult because her brother and dad were the 2 men she had looked up to the most growing up. This coach was also someone I've known for several years now and developed a good friendship with, so seeing her like that was really difficult for me. So we prayed for her and her family, that God would bring her brother and dad back to Christ.
Later that night we all sat around the campfire and each of us told our testimonies. There were so many powerful testimonies; one in particular was that of my teammate Brittany. She had lost so many important people in her life over the past few years, and she was so angry with God. Only recently has she begun to trust God again, and while she still struggles with that we all told her that God will still use her for great things. As I was listening to testimonies, I just found it so amazing how God uses people from different walks of life for the same purpose. There were all types of different stories about how God brought these coaches through tremendous adversities, and from different cultures and backgrounds. Yet we were all here for the same purpose, and that was to serve God through the AIA ministry. I was also reminded during this time that you should never underestimate the power of your own testimony, even if your testimony is not a dramatic life change or an amazing story of how you were once a serial killer and now a follower of Christ. God will use your testimony to change lives and when you underestimate the power of your own testimony, you underestimate the power of God and what he can do.
After heading back to the lodge, everyone pretty much went to bed except for myself and a few other rookie coaches. We just hung out and sat around talking. We had only known each other for a day and a half but our whole group was really close and tight knit,
We split into our teams after to plan coach's corner. This is part of the day where we tell kids about Jesus and the gospel, skits are also performed and coaches tell their testimonies or stories. Obviously this is the most important part of the day, and we spent lots of time assigning roles preparing for it.
After dinner we had some discussion on how to deliver the gospel to children. Brainstormed some ideas like the 6 Cs (creation, corruption,covenant, cross, choice, coming) and the illustration of the gap between man and God which only Jesus Christ the cross could bridge.
Afterwards Bev asked if any coaches needed prayer, if they had anything in their hearts that now would be a time to share. One of the coaches shared something that really moved me. She told us how her brother and dad who were Christians have recently left their faith. Now they mock her mother and herself for being a follower of Christ and it's created a divide in between the family. She was crying and she said it was especially difficult because her brother and dad were the 2 men she had looked up to the most growing up. This coach was also someone I've known for several years now and developed a good friendship with, so seeing her like that was really difficult for me. So we prayed for her and her family, that God would bring her brother and dad back to Christ.
Later that night we all sat around the campfire and each of us told our testimonies. There were so many powerful testimonies; one in particular was that of my teammate Brittany. She had lost so many important people in her life over the past few years, and she was so angry with God. Only recently has she begun to trust God again, and while she still struggles with that we all told her that God will still use her for great things. As I was listening to testimonies, I just found it so amazing how God uses people from different walks of life for the same purpose. There were all types of different stories about how God brought these coaches through tremendous adversities, and from different cultures and backgrounds. Yet we were all here for the same purpose, and that was to serve God through the AIA ministry. I was also reminded during this time that you should never underestimate the power of your own testimony, even if your testimony is not a dramatic life change or an amazing story of how you were once a serial killer and now a follower of Christ. God will use your testimony to change lives and when you underestimate the power of your own testimony, you underestimate the power of God and what he can do.
After heading back to the lodge, everyone pretty much went to bed except for myself and a few other rookie coaches. We just hung out and sat around talking. We had only known each other for a day and a half but our whole group was really close and tight knit,
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Coach training (Day 1) June 22nd
The training camp was at deer valley meadows in alix, which is almost a 2 hour ride from Edmonton. All the Alberta coaches were expected to arrive there by 7pm but I got dropped off earlier at around 3 pm. When I got there, no other coaches were there except for the 6 head coaches (2 AB, 2 BC, 2 ON) who were having head coach training. I met up with Bev (Alberta coach coordinator) and she told me to finish some paperwork in my room and then come out and join the head coaches on the field. I definitely felt quite intimidated since I was the only coach there. What made it even more terrifying was that Clarke (BC coach coordinator) had the head coaches play 1v1 and had me join them as well.
Fortunately I knew about half the head coaches already so it wasn't difficult to get reacquainted. Actually all the head coaches were really awesome and easy to talk to, each of them actually came up to me and made conversation which really helped me feel more comfortable and settled in. After dinner the rest of the AB coaches arrived and all of us went onto the field for training in the heavy rain. The AB coaches got to know each other better and we socialized until it was time to sleep.
On team AB 1, there's my head coach kaitlyn, as well as Lane, Brittany, and myself. On team AB 2, the head coach was Amy, the other three members were Travis, Jason, and Angela.
Fortunately I knew about half the head coaches already so it wasn't difficult to get reacquainted. Actually all the head coaches were really awesome and easy to talk to, each of them actually came up to me and made conversation which really helped me feel more comfortable and settled in. After dinner the rest of the AB coaches arrived and all of us went onto the field for training in the heavy rain. The AB coaches got to know each other better and we socialized until it was time to sleep.
On team AB 1, there's my head coach kaitlyn, as well as Lane, Brittany, and myself. On team AB 2, the head coach was Amy, the other three members were Travis, Jason, and Angela.
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