SMASH Camp!

Well guys, life is picking up big time!

Work picked up big time during the last couple of weeks. Between my two jobs I'm workin an average of 55 hours a week these days. But that's not the only thing that's awesome (yes I'm loving working crazy amounts, it's kinda fantastic). But it can't all be work! When I arrived in Brisbane one of my first goals was to get plugged into a Church.

[Heads up my non-Christian readers this ones a bit Jesus heavy]

Thanks to Emily Aitkin I ended up getting plugged into Keperra Baptists. Thanks to Keperra Baptists I ended up getting asked if I wanted to be a leader at a camp called SMASH Camp.  SMASH Camp is a camp where heaps of churches in the Brisbane area send their 8-12th grade kids for a week of learning, celebrating, and growing with Jesus. The week started out slightly oddly because I didn't know many people there, Keperra only sent 5 leaders to SMASH (including me) and there was somewhere around 50 of us leaders. Tack on the fact that I'm that random American who rocked up combined with the fact that we only did like 3 meetings before the actual camp..... and I felt like a bit of an outsider. Don't get me wrong the people were inviting as all get out and I ended up making friends with like almost every leader but I was worried at first.

I was co-leader of a small group of five grade 10 guys. My other co-leader was Daniel Kavanagh and he was a huge blessing in small group meetings. Me and him tag teamed it up well and ended up getting one recommitment to Christ in our small group- possibly a second in the future. I feel incredibly blessed to have been there for that. By the end of camp our small group was a well knit band of bros who would sit at meals together, share openly, and joke around pretty good.

That week was honestly one of the most fun and rewarding weeks of my life. I had done work with youth through the YMCA, Camp Wesley Pines, and other church stuff back home... so I thought I knew roughly what I was signing up for.... but I had no idea how amazing it was going to be, I'm still blown away by it.

SMASH Camp was off the wall fun 24/7. The leadership team jelled together incredibly quickly and it just WORKED. Everybody had their strengths that came it at just the right time. The funny people, positive people, patient people, less talkative people, wise people, everybody's strengths came out and it just worked so well. I'm so thankful that I was able to go on SMASH because I made some seriously amazing friends that I know I'll hang with the rest of my time in Brisbane.

SMASH Camp also had a huge impact on me. Couldn't smoke on camp, so I gave up and haven't smoked since then. Couldn't cuss on camp (we made the campers do pushups if they did), so I'm backing way down on that. Reading the Bible, praying, and worshiping daily was amazing. The average daily schedule was wake up, breakfast, quiet time, beach, morning tea, small groups, lunch, activity (anything from Cable skiing to lazer tag, campers got to choose), dinner, worship, night activity, supper, then bed. It was awesome. If I could I would love to do that camp for an entire summer like a Camp Wesley Pines. [Cultural Difference] The concept of a camp running all summer, rotating kids around on a weekly basis is very strange to Australians. When asked if I'd done youth work before I described CWP and people were in awe that camps ran for an entire summer.

SMASH Camp had some awesome activities and very fun memories. From going down a pretty good sized water slide, to cable skiing. Convincing kids at camp that my long lost brother was another leader and that I came to Australia to get to know him (another leader could easily have passed as my brother, red beard and everything). Teaching and Playing Ultimate Frisbee on outdoor sport day. Having seriously amazing talks with campers about Christianity and life. High fiving EVERYBODY because "purple" was not allowed (boys are blue, girls are red/pink; and thus cant mix to make purple). Hearing amazing testimonies. Lazer zone politics and alliances. Stacking cups, bowls, knives and such as high as you can so your table can go get food before other tables. Having kids open up to you and share their problems. It was so legit.

Well that was SMASH Camp! I'm in a Public Library right now and will soon get kicked off the computer. Tomorrow I'm going to Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef- I'm sure I'll do a blogpost just for that.

You guys take care,
Sorry for being so slack!

Happy Trails,
Steve