HOPE BRISBANE ABLAZE YOUTH CAMP
Excitement filled the air as everyone arrived at Unidus. Wide smiling face, a skip in every step you take, laughter at every conversation that’s taking place, ah yes, you could tell it’s going to be an unforgettable camp!
The first day at camp started with the night session: We Are Not Fans, but Followers. Many of our hearts were touched by God as Torch shared about being a true disciple of Jesus, embracing Him as the centre and essence of our lives.
The games after that session took the night away as campers fled for their lives, and stood together in groups of four in order to avoid the very intimidating “grogs”.
The second day of camp started with a defining moment of praise and worship as everyone hungered for the presence of God, and it continued with a session of ‘Preach it Baby!’ led by Mark and Jason (our ABLAZE Leaders). They shared from two of our 6 core values as a youth ministry - We Are Hunger for God’s Presence, and We Are Passionate for the Lost.
No youth camp would be complete without youths getting wet and dirty, competing with one another to emerge as champions. “Survivor: Last Man Standing” was the theme of our games this year as members fought to gain more points for their teams by defending their individual handmade totems.
The afternoon took a rather melancholy feel as we broke off into our genders to have some heart to heart, meaningful conversations. The Beauty and the Beast workshop is always a hit as it’s a time where a safe environment is created for our respective genders to tackle issues that we face, respectively.
“We Are the Key to our Generation” was the theme of the second night. God’s presence was so powerful during worship as we saw many young lives devoting themselves to God once again. Lisa Leung struck a chord in many of our hearts as she began to help us understand how we should fully make use of the resources and time we have to build God’s Kingdom. We only have one life, one chance to make a difference in our generation.
On Sunday, we continued with the second half of ‘Preach it Baby!’ as Sara and Lisa Hong spoke on another two aspect of our core value - We Are Heart Centered on Christ and We Are Love Deepened in Community.
We had a chance to look into the lives of our fearless leaders - Torch & Lisa as they were put on the spot to share about their upbringing and how they are partnering together in advancing God’s Kingdom. We too had a privilege of listening in to our special guests, Neil and Sandra as they shared about their marriage and how God has touched their lives in a great measure.
Skit Night was amazing as many showcased their talents in acting and dancing, committing to bringing laughter to the crowd. It was enjoyable.
Torch and Lisa wrapped up the final night with a convicting message on “We Are the Church of Jesus Christ”. God was truly at work as we saw hearts beginning to respond to the call of Christ. A truly heartfelt moment was caught by many of our leaders as we saw a group of young high schoolers praying together for close to an hour - a moment forever engraved in our hearts, reminding us (the leaders) of why pouring out into the Kingdom of God is worth it! Talk about revival! God’s presence was undeniably tangible and the Holy Spirit was at work, healing the broken-hearted and re-igniting the passion in the hearts of many.
We had a powerful last morning session as the high school band led us in a time of praise and worship. Together, we then brainstormed on what it truly means to Disciple Generations who Change Nations (the key emphasis to the existence of Ablaze). Lunch was accompanied with Reflection time as we paired across the university students and high schoolers, evidently showing the true essence of discipleship, and breaking the barriers between generations as we shared.
The camp ended with fun loving photography sessions and water bomb fights - truly playing to our hearts’ content before going home. “We Are” camp was truly life-changing for many of us, and we believe that this would be a spiritual catalyst that spurs us on in our journey with God. Many lives were transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit, and Ablaze is ready at the line looking out, to be all that God has called us to be! We Are UNITED!
