What a great time we had attending M3 Camp at Highland Lakes in Spicewood, TX. Our 10 brave leaders took 40 teenagers to camp and loved every minute of it. Friendships were made and relationships were built. Belly laughs were had, sweat dripped, students cheered, and little sleep was gotten. We saw students make public statements of faith that they feel called to pastoral and mission ministries, but best of all were the students whose lives were changed forever when they choose to give their lives to Christ.
Highland Lakes sits on the Colorado River about 30 minutes west of Austin. Not only did we get to enjoy the camp, but we also got to sit on the porch and see some beautiful views of Hill County.
Each day we experienced morning and evening worship, Breakout Groups, Recreational Time, Tournaments, and Free Time. We participated in as much as we could for as long as we could.
Hexapod
During Recreational Time (rec) we traversed the Hexapod, swam and played in the pool, played CanCan, Dodgeball, slip and slide, and more. The Hexapod is a ropes obstacle course that stands 3 stories high with 3 levels. It may not look high from the ground but when you’re standing on a rope on the 3rd level looking down, you begin to think about your life choices.
The pool provided relief from the Texas sun. You could swim, slide, play water basketball, or just lounge around. An old favorite, CanCan, delivered some interesting fun by pitting students against one another, trying to force each other to touch a trash can while forming a circle connected by ropes. Dodgeball rarely disappoints. We played with foam balls, which made predicting where the ball was going difficult at best. The last game we played in rec was Chaos. The name sums up the game. A mix between capture the flag and freeze tag that brought out more competitiveness in some than others. You have to play it to get it.
In the afternoon, some of our students participated in tournaments: Kickball, Basketball, Volleyball, and Dodgeball. Our students took home first place in Kickball and Dodgeball. While they made a valiant effort, they came up short in Volleyball and Basketball. While some students took to tournaments, others went to the cabin for some rest and relaxation. If they didn’t do that, you could usually find them swimming in the pool, taking a ride on the zipline, playing paintball, testing their skills at archery, or enjoying the river by riding the banana boats.
After services each night, we had Late Nite. Late Nite included Silent Disco, Texas Night, Color Wars, and a firework show. At Silent Disco, each person was given headphones to hear the music. Only the people who had headphones could hear it. It was quite a sight to see a bunch of people dancing and singing to music that you couldn’t hear. At Texas Night, we dressed up in our best western wear and went down to the shindig and did a little two-stepping and, of course, line dancing. Color Wars involved massive amounts of colored powder being thrown at each other. I’m pretty sure we brought back some of it. On Thursday night, we ended the night by lighting up the skies with fireworks.
Each day, our students attended Breakout Groups. Breakout Groups were hour-long meetings facilitated by adults and cover topics such as How to Study the Bible, Dating, IGO Missions, International Missions Board, Apologetics, Healthy Habits for Boys, Healthy Habits for Girls, and several others. Before evening worship we would meet as a church group and go over the day’s activities, as well as discuss what they learned in their Breakout Group.
At camp, we get the opportunity to hear from pastors and speakers we don’t normally get to. This year we heard from Pastors Nathan Lino and Tyler Riley, and were led through music by Ryan DeLange. They all did an amazing job of walking us through building our faith in God and going out in the world for Jesus.
During the services, we took time to intentionally pray. We prayed for ourselves and our relationships with God, we prayed for healing and comfort for others, and we prayed for our adults and each other. When you see a group of people praying, it stirs even the most hardened of hearts. When you are prayed over by a group of people, especially students, you can’t help but be moved by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, parents, for trusting us and for letting us take your student. Each year, I am moved and in awe of God and how He ministers to our students and our adults. I am amazed by our students and can’t wait to see how God uses them. Although we do stuff throughout the year, there is no time like camp. A time to get away from the normal. A time to think about the stuff we normally don’t have “time” for. A time to spend with each other and a time to spend with God. God is good all the time. Especially at camp.
Till next year!