Teen Camp 2016: In Their Words

If you've been on our Facebook page recently, you've heard Teen Camp described as AMAZINGLY POWERFUL.

 

Here are some of the reasons:

• 26 campers (About half of them attended for the first time.)
• 8 decisions to accept Christ
• 6 teens baptized

 

Teens were asked to answer some questions about the week.  Here are some of their responses:

 

Favorite part of camp:

• Tubing
• Horseback riding
• Chapel
• Everything!
• Activities
• Getting to have fun with all my friends
• Praise and worship (singing)
• Weather
• Getting to know new people
• When the most powerful things happen in chapel
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Getting to go to sleep
• The food

 

Aim Right Teen Camp is...

• Awesome
• Good place to have fun and learn the Word of God
• Amazing
• A really good place to have the best summer
• A life-changing experience
• Fun and spiritual
• Sensational
• One of the best camps I have ever gone to
• One of the most amazing weeks of my life

 

How my life has been changed:

• I learned how to forgive.
• I finally accepted God into my life and was baptized for the first time.
• Camp made it more clear what my calling is.
• I know what I need to do to make permanent changes in my life.
• If I have problems, I can go to God to help me and to always go ALL IN [the theme of this year's camp].
• I got baptized, and I feel free; giving God my pain and letting go has set me free.
• Sinless.
• I am committed to God.
• I've finally found my purpose.

 

As I go home, pray for me, that I will...

• Be able to find what my purpose is.
• Keep reading my Bible.
• Be more successful in school and chase my dreams.
• Remember what I've learned.
• No matter what, stay true to my love for God.
• Be safe and stay in touch with Jesus.
• Stay committed.
• Stop doing things that will affect my life.
• Continue to be close to God and spread His Word for others to see.
• Stay with God.
• Not go back to smoking and gang banging again.
• Continue to be ALL IN every day.
• Be strong for what is coming.
• Become a person who will make my community a better place.
• Not change.
• Let my anger go and commit to God. 

I think it's apparent that teens shared their hearts in their responses.  In the weeks ahead, as you pray for Aim Right, perhaps you can also lift up the requests of our teens. In addition to the craziness and violence in our world today, youth face spiritual battles and temptations in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. 

 

A common theme in teens' prayer requests above is the word "stay." I am reminded of John 15:4, which says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." Some Bible translations replace the word "abide" with the word "stay." Pray that teens will abide (stay) in Him!

Ten Years of Memories

Two sisters who have been coming to Aim Right for quite a long time (10 years!) graduated from high school in May. We first connected with them through our tutoring program, when they were referred to us by the local elementary school. I thought it would be fun to dig up some photos from the archives and share a decade of memories.

 

2006 Tutoring

 

 

2007 Tutoring

 

After participating in our tutoring program, they began to attend Kids Club, Youth Haven Ranch, and other activities, such as some special outings coordinated with a local women's ministry.

2008 Museum Outing with City of Grace (now Hillsong Phoenix)

 



 

2008 VBS

 2008 Zoo Outing with City of Grace

 

 

Then...they became teenagers!

 

2011 Teen Camp

 

 

2012 Teen Camp

 

 

 

2013 Teen Camp

 

 2013 Banquet with Luis Gonzalez

 

 

2014 Teen Camp

 

2016 Graduation
Gricelda (left) & Maribel (right)

 

Maribel and Gricelda have something that is unfortunately a rarity among many of the youth Aim Right connects with--a stable home with very involved parents. It is their dad who has encouraged them to excel in school and to have dreams of going to college. He was beaming after the graduation as he snapped photo after photo. Maribel has shared with me that her dad wants his children to have opportunities that he was not able to have. Therefore, that earned him the title of "strict parent" at times.

 

These young ladies have made decisions to follow Christ. Their faith has recently been tested through some challenges that face them now that they have completed high school. God answered a big prayer request--a college scholarship for Maribel--but there are other hurdles to get through if she is to begin college this fall. What many of us would take for granted is really a privilege.

 

I'll close with some words that are not my own, but rather that of Amy Medina, who works with a ministry in Tanzania. You can find her full post here.

 

How many other young boys and girls are out there, DNA brimming with Olympic athleticism, or Ivy-League intelligence, or musical genius?  Yet they'll never have a real soccer ball, or a classroom with less than 100 students in it, or a piano to practice.  

 

And it hit me that one of the (many) privileges of being wealthy is the ability to see my children find their potential.  And have a shot at reaching it.  

 

It makes me wonder how many millions of those in poverty are ignored, oppressed, or spat upon, when all they really need is a chance.  Or how often I have taken advantage of my wealth and opportunity and forgotten what a huge privilege my life really is.

 

I've resolved not to forget.  Or waste it.   

Coming Soon: Teen Camp July 17-22

I heard recently that June tied for the warmest month on record in Phoenix since meteorologists began keeping track of temperatures in 1895 (the other "hottest June" was in 2013).  Aim Right's teen campers should be more than ready to head to Southwest Colorado and dip their toes in a frigid river until they're numb.

Speaking of rivers, there's quite a gem in this video at the 1:38 mark.  The screaming damsel in distress is a former intern, and our executive director is shown coming to the rescue of the two ladies. Also, at the 1:14 mark, some Aim Right'ers are playing basketball.
 

A Minute At Circle K Ranch 2015 from Cindy Brannon on Vimeo.
 

This year's camp theme is "ALL IN."  We would love to have as many pray-ers as possible to cover the campers and the week in prayer.  Click on the image below to view a Prayer Guide to help you pray specifically for staff and campers by name. 

Summer Visits to the Children's Museum

Post by our intern Aleisha:

 

When its 108 degrees outside, what do kids during the day? Maybe go swimming, but the pool water feels like warm bath water. It's not fun swimming in that when it's already hot, and you don't want to go outside and play things such as soccer, or even move. Instead, you sit inside and play video games or annoy your siblings. Your parents don't have money or time to take you places, but being at home gets old after awhile.

 

Aim Right was given a LOT of free passes to go to the Children's Museum that is right here in downtown Phoenix, so Ro and I take a group of kids every other Wednesday afternoon. This past Wednesday was our fourth group so far; we try to take about 6 to 8 kids every time we go, and sometimes we take a couple of teens that come to our teen programs. We like taking teens with us because we let them help chaperone to learn responsibilities. It's also a good time to build a relationship with them, and it gets them out of the house away from their video games!

 

 

 

 

 

Ro and I work together packing their lunches; one of us makes the ham and cheese and PBJ sandwiches, while the other takes care of the chips, drinks, and cookies. We always plan to get to the museum by 11:00 a.m., and we let the kids play for a couple of hours. We go from one fun thing to another. There are kids everywhere, running around and smiling from ear to ear. Sometimes.......we staff are having just as much fun as them by just watching them, and sometimes we go and play with them! 

 

Every time we take a group, they all like one area of the museum with big pool noodles that hang from the ceiling that kids can walk through. Sometimes we play a game of hide and seek in them, and the kids have so much fun!

 

 

After a couple of hours, the kids start to come to us and say, " I'm hungry," or "I think my stomach is eating itself," (told to us by a little boy we took last time). So we go get the coolers from the van and take them to a side room to serve them their lunch. After they are done, we let them play for another hour or so; by that time, we staff are about done with the place! Yes, we love that the kids are having so much fun, but after awhile the number of kids running around everywhere in the museum overwhelms you.

 

 Spending time with these kids for 3 hours for one day has an amazing impact on your relationship with them. They remember what you did that day with them for a long time. Even though this isn't a program where we sit down and tell them stories out of the Bible, I think that with the love and care we give them, they can see a difference! And it's so fun to hear the kids tell you, "This is the best day of my life!"

 

 

A word from Marky--one of our teens that comes with us pretty regularly to help chaperone:

 

"Spending time with the children of Aim Right is very fun and keeps me active and full of joy. Giving all my time to these kids is worth it just to see many smiles and share great memories at the Children's Museum and Kids Club. I enjoy my time as a volunteer and hope to empower."

VBS - Tuesday evening

On Tuesday evening at VBS, groups heard from Queen Esther, made crowns, played some royal games, and feasted on grapes and Froot Loops treats. Thanks to Lourdes for all of these great shots!