Our Truth Focus for today was, “Light Overcomes the Darkness.” Morning devotions started great conversations in the cabins. One of the questions was, “Have you experienced a time when God shined His light in a dark place?” It spurred on a great conversation about God’s love. One of the littlest girls commented that God was her “forever love.”
The classic song based on Psalm 133:1, “Hinei Ma Tov/Behold How Good,” got the campers moving early this morning during Mishkan. Being part of the Jewish dance circle is such a symbol of the community. The joy was tangible!
In order to be prepared for the Sabbath, challah-making was added to the morning rotations. Campers perfected their braiding and designed beautiful mini-challahs for the evening Sabbath dinner.
The older kids took their aim on the archery field and flew high off the ground on the big camp swing. Middle and little campers enjoyed boating and games in the gym.
There was a drumroll to reveal the color teams’ points. The tangerine team could be heard cheering from across the campground when they were told of their 5,000-point lead. The mint team was not deflated but was inspired to get everyone on the team to do their memory verses for as many points as possible. With this knowledge, the mint team went into the Capture the Flag game with heart. They creamed tangerine twice on the field. More points were added to the tally.
With the extra free time, the campers were able to clean up and prepare for the Sabbath. It was wonderful to see all the clean faces and fresh clothes. We lit the candles and said the kiddish. Campers sang Shabbat Shalom as we entered into rest together. Just as we sat down for a nice roasted chicken dinner, the skies opened up and the rain poured down. We weren’t sure if the evening would be a “wash,” but just as we were ending color team meetings, the sky cleared and a beautiful double rainbow was seen over camp. What a beautiful reminder of God’s extraordinary promise!
Rebekah Miller brought us our evening devotion. Her storytelling brought the campers to the edge of their seats as she spoke of spelunking in a deep dark cave. She connected this illustration to the fact that, without God, we are lost in darkness. He truly is our light and source of safety from the darkness around us.
We ended the evening at the pool with five mikvahs (baptisms)! Hearing the testimonies from each camper brought tears to the counselors’ eyes. It was so powerful to hear how the Spirit of God had been working this week, prompting these life-changing decisions for Messiah!
To God be the glory!
