On the 3rd Sunday in Advent, the 2017 Teenager Camp came to an end. We spent a great time together with 34 young people.
Even during the preparations for the Teenager Camp, it was already a pleasure and a relief to know that we were coming to Vryheid, as
we knew from previous experience that, especially at the Louis Harms hostel, we were dealing with people who know what they are doing. Thank you, Werner and Sylvia Paul, for the friendly welcome, the delicious meals, and for being such lovely hosts!
The theme of the Teenager Camp was “Time – a question of love.” This was addressed in three sections. After a general introduction into the topic, we looked at the biblical foundations, and ended with the practical application of the topic. Just as we can see in everyday life that we like to spend a lot of time with things we love and value, so it is also true the other way around – our love for something can be recognized by our willingness to devote time to it. Especially in the spiritual field, we were astonished to find out that God’s love for us is expressed in the fact that He turns to us and spends time with us – that He has created us not only through a word of power, but that He sent His Son into this time and world to live among us, to teach us, and above all to give His life for us so that we can one day live in His glory and be with Him without end. He also comes to us every day and every week in His word and sacrament to bestow on us His love and grace. He dedicates His time to us. He is completely there for us. In order to be able to receive this love of our Heavenly Father, we are also invited to spend time with Him – in our daily Bible study and the weekly worship services. This means that we also have to ask ourselves how we can and must allocate our time in very concrete terms – according to the principle: “Do not say that you do not have time, but say what you have time for.”
In addition to dealing with this topic, there was also plenty of time for singing and playing sports. There was also time for a visit to the old age home, where the teenagers treated the elderly with some confectioneries and some music and singing. On Saturday morning we were invited to the Grootgewaagd Dam for swimming and games. Many thanks to the members of the St Peter’s Congregation in Vryheid, who came to spend time with the teenagers, and also to provide a very delicious meal.
The camp came to an end after the Communion Service on Sunday – as usual in a large circle and with good wishes, especially to those who will not attend the Teenager Camp in 2018, because they will have moved on to the Youth Camp. With that, the camp ended on a sad note, because we also had to say goodbye to Pastor Martin Paul, who is also moving on from the Teenager Association to the Youth Organisation. We thank him for the many years he has devoted to the work amongst the teenagers, for his competent guidance and the spiritual enrichment that we have received through him. We wish him God’s blessings and a lot of joy in his work among the youth!
Pastor Kurt Böhmer, Pretoria
