Thoughts of MK Camp

I'm back from camp, and after spending some time unpacking, missing all of the amazing friends I met at Severin, and thinking about what I learned this past week, I can safely say that the 2011 MK camp has made my list of favorites. It's hard for me to pick any specific thing that made it so amazing, but a few experiences definitely took a big part in making this camp one of the best I have ever attended: the people, the worship, and the challenges.

Seeing and interacting with other MKs always encourages me. I love going to camp because there I feel safe to talk about things that I would feel awkward sharing in other places or with other people. At camp, I know that I am accepted and understood in a group of people who know about the experiences I've had and share many of them with me. This year the conversations I had with other campers and counselors encouraged and refreshed me in my walk with Christ.

Worship is always another highlight of camp for me, and this year I especially enjoyed it. As I go to a Croatian church and rarely have the chance to praise God with others in my own language, worshiping in English was a huge blessing for me. I also had the opportunity to join the worship team for several nights; an experience I love but rarely have the chance to participate in. I love how in worship it doesn't matter if I mess up the notes or pause my playing for a moment. It's not about me and how I play; it's all about God and giving back to him the blessings he has showered on me. Standing together with other Christians and giving God praise and glory this past week reminded me of our Creator’s greatness.

On the last full day of camp we talked about extreme commitment as our theme for the day. In my small group we talked about how we can merge the lessons we learned at camp into life back in the countries we live in. So often I go to camp and live on the spiritual high there, but when I go home I fall back into my normal daily routine and let the love and joy experienced at camp fade into the background. This year I was challenged, all throughout the week as well as on the last day, to take the lessons I learned at camp and apply them to my life. I don't want to forget about the lessons I learned this week; I want to take them with me wherever I go and learn to follow Christ in the extreme way talked about at camp.