By Abigail Preyra

 

There’s no doubt that this year’s camp was different. I think we were all a little surprised when Pastor announced that we would be moving camp online this year, I suppose we all thought it would just be cancelled. Nonetheless, as soon as Pastor Hernan told us that camp was on, it was full steam ahead.

Before the week started, I was asked to handle the social media platforms. This meant that it was my job to put up graphics on the LAUNCH and Higher Ground Instagram pages. Little did I know how much this ‘job’ would affect my outlook of the week that was about to happen.

I was not given any rules when it came to posting, I was only told to post on the accounts. After hearing the first message, I decided to put up a graphic about the main point of the preaching. As the week went on, I did this for every sermon we had. I slowly realised that because of my part in the week, I felt more inclined to really listen to what God was trying to say through the preaching (who were amazing by the way). Now, I’m not saying that because of this role, I paid more attention than the next YAYA camper, because I’m sure that’s not true.

Because I had to create a post after each message, I prioritised the camp.

Camp week was not an off week for me. I still had essays to submit and lectures to watch. In reality if I did not have a part in camp, I may not have prioritised it like I did and I honestly think God did that on purpose. He knew exactly what I needed to hear.

The funny thing is, when I would post a graphic with what I (personally) had learned, I realised that God was speaking to other people the exact same way.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that during isolation it is so easy to feel, well, isolated. This meant I was not the only one in this situation and I’m not the only one that needed to hear the message. It’s so easy to feel like whatever struggle you’re going through, you’re going through it alone. That no one could really understand. It's unreasonable to think the way, but you do. In reality everyone feels that way at some point of their lives; and we’re never alone in it. I said something during the campfire, it was something like: ‘even though we couldn’t be together physically at camp, because of how interactive we were with social media (amongst other things), it still felt like we were surrounded in it (camp online).’ I felt surrounded by people whose hearts were being moved by the Holy Spirit and who were drawing closer to God; just like it would be if we were actually at camp. And honestly that was amazing.

Camp this year was great and I feel blessed to be in a church that prioritises God and the outreach of His name; that continually shows love to its members and the wider community simply by enduring.

Okay, that’s all from me :)

 

The 2020 Youth and Young Adult Camp was the first time camp was held on an online platform. If you would like to re-watch the camp messages, please visit https://sbc.sydney/yaya-online/pages/camp-sessions.