Hi everyone! I know I just posted recently, but we just got back from Bible Camp, and I couldn’t wait to tell you all about it! Bible Camp has been one of the things I was most excited about since the beginning of the year, and although we didn’t have much snow, I know we had fun just the same.
On Friday, we had extra short classes and loaded up in the buses right after lunch. I know that some people don’t like bus rides and that it makes others sick, but I enjoy them. I love to have real conversations with those I am sitting near, which is sometimes hard in the busyness of life. I also love to listen to some of the silly things people come up with when we are bored.
After we arrived at Camp Au Sable, we had about an hour or two of free time. Some of the girls went over to the playground and hung out there, and others went up to the cafeteria. I’m not entirely sure what the guys did, but I know that a few of them “sledded” down the hill by the beach on the strips of ice that hadn’t melted yet.
Friday evening, we had communion together as a school. For foot washing, the girls and guys separated, the girls went to the cafeteria and the guys stayed in the auditorium. It truly was beautiful to see so many kids coming together with each other and with God. After the foot washing, we reconvened in the auditorium. There, Pastor Jeff told us to quietly think about the sacrifice Jesus had made for us as we ate the bread and drank the grape juice.
On Sabbath morning, my class, the sophomores, taught Sabbath school. For Sabbath school, we were talking about how we can live according to the Bible in such a messed-up world while we are waiting for Jesus to come. After Sabbath school, we had church in the auditorium. Our speaker for the weekend, Dee Casper, showed us how Jesus not only came to this earth to die for us, but He also came here to suffer for us, so that we would never have to be alone. He also taught us that we all are broken, and that’s not a bad thing.
On Sabbath afternoon, we split up into our individual classes for about an hour, and in that time, we just talked, laughed, and learned more about each other. We had discussions about all sorts of things, including which Bible character we felt the most like and where we would like to go as missionaries. Then, we had a walk around the boardwalk. It was a beautiful and sunny day, and as always, Camp Au Sable was gorgeous. The walk around the boardwalk was a little scary because it was a little icy, but luckily, no one got hurt, and many of those who did fall were able to laugh about it.
On Sabbath evening, after our meeting, the Bible department had planned a game of ultimate dodgeball for us. Even though it was a little cold in the athletic shed, and most of the students were a little reluctant at first, everyone had a great time playing. Just about when everyone was getting cold, we all went up to the cafeteria for board games, or just to hang out and talk.
Sunday morning, we had our final meeting, which was about shame, guilt, condemnation, and justification, and how we can distinguish the difference between them. Pastor Dee taught us that shame comes from us associating ourselves with our sin, and guilt is just recognizing that we’ve sinned.. He said that shame is used by Satan to convince us that we could never be good enough for Jesus to love us. He also taught us how when we sin, Satan condemns us, and we condemn ourselves, but Jesus has already died for us so that His blood can provide justification for our sins. After the meeting, we cleaned up a bit around camp, packed our buses, and headed home.
Overall, even though we didn’t have much snow, and everything was a little icy, Bible Camp was a super fun time when we got to come together as a school family, take a break from school, and learn more about God. Between our speaker and the discussions we had, I definitely thought about some things that I never had before. I loved Bible Camp so much and I can’t wait to go again next year.
Next up is Academy Days scheduled for April 21-22. I’m really excited for this event because I’ll get to meet all our potential students for next year! If you or someone you know would like to experience what life is really like at GLAA, Academy Days is a great time to come visit. You can register and find more information here: Academy Days April 21-22, 2024 – Great Lakes Adventist Academy (glaa.net)
Love,
Elena
Great Lakes Adventist Academy 