Spiritual Re-Armament 1994

"Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:14)

The Weekend

From the theme of the weekend: DARE to be DIFFERENT to individuals who were placed in my path that weekend, God made it clear that He had a plan for my life. He knew what was awaiting me in the future and so that weekend was to prepare me for what was to come, and to start the process of making me into the vessel He so desired of me. Today I look back in gratitude and daily give God thanks for loving me enough, to put a rescue plan in place ahead of the time I would need it.

In 1994, I was living in the UK with my mother. Mum was not a regular attendee at any church and so my 'church life' gradually decreased, and soon my Christian life became stagnant. I was longing for some soul food, so when I decided to visit my grandparents in Jamaica in the Summer of '94, Duncan's was very high on my agenda. I went to church and from the reading of the notices I got the information on youth camp.

That weekend, we shared a coach with Gregory Park Baptist church youth who were accompanied by Sis. Bobsie [one of the people God chose to minister to my heart that weekend]. And our team from Sligoville Baptist Church was accompanied by Sis. Gloria Brown, Sis. Lorna Roach, Bro. Sylvester Montaque and Bro. Herman Edwards. We sung many choruses on the long journey from St. Catherine to Trelawny: making stops at the jerk centre to get our fill of jerk chicken, roast corn, dumpling, bread, fish and festivals. We ate our fill then washed it down with coconut water and 'sky juice'. We repeated this process on the return journey. What fun it was!

I made some friends over that weekend who left positive prints on my heart. One* in particular remains a positive influence in my life, whose friendship God used to reveal Himself through, as I went through some of my darkest moments. He is a dear friend who I can turn to for guidance today, just as I did at youth camp. I value his advice and can always turn to him for counsel; knowing that God speaks through him. I respect him as a man of God and can still look forward to a good 'ole laugh when we chat. I haven't seen him since youth camp '94 but that's ok, I give God thanks for telecommunication and modern technology, as it continues to keep us connected.

But as much as the socialising aspect of youth camp was fun, it was the activities that took place over the weekend that touched me the most. Everything we did was focused on the theme: 'Dare to be different'. Through these activities, the sermons and exhortations came to life for me and prepared me for future obstacles that were waiting just around the corner. I don't remember being as attentive to any sermon I've heard prior to this weekend. The weekend was packed with workshops and activities such as sports, cooking, a trip to the beach, a banquet, all geared towards preparing us for our journey into adulthood.

Over this weekend I also confronted some of my 'shyness' fears and participated in drama, singing, sports and other events. It was fun! And I remembered the chorus of a particular song [Tears are a language] which helped me as I was going through my struggles, as an adult.

"Dare to be different": That was the order of the weekend. And after the weekend, I felt spiritually re-armed, for whatever was out there awaiting me. The trials and tribulations did come, but I was armed. I had learnt dependency on Jesus. This one weekend in 1994, empowered me to deal with some of the issues below:

* Rev. Dwight Fraser.

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