By Aaron E. Ziebarth, Executive Director
There was plenty of excitement when 109 students from the 4.12 Leadership Training Program gathered this weekend at Joy El Camps and Retreats for encouragement, Bible study and biblical worldview teaching.
On Sunday morning, participants sat together in the dining hall with fellow students who had spent the same amount of time in the program. As the meal progressed, you could hear the excitement coming from the Level 5 table. How can one summarize how you have grown in the last five years? It isn’t always easy to do, but as I look back at the lives of these students I am impressed.
Our heavenly Father brought students out of their introverted shells and helped them to become confident leaders. He developed students who hardly knew how to talk with Him into prayer warriors. Students became motivated for Scripture memory as a way of connecting with our Father and memorized whole books of the Bible. And these students are leading many others in a pursuit of Christ.
As breakfast concluded, these students spontaneously shared with the entire group ways they had grown, how valuable it was for them to continue in the program, and how the 4.12 Leadership Training Program helped them in their pursuit of Christ-centered lives. It was very moving. (My older daughter Abigail is among this group.)
I praise God for what He is doing here at Joy El Camps and Retreats. God uses the Christian camping experience, trained leaders, and authentic spiritual community in a small town in Pennsylvania to impact major change in lives. To learn more about the 4.12 Leadership Training Program, please click here: http://joyelgeneration.org/412-leadership-training. Please be praying for these students as they graduate and ignite a generation that seeks Him (Psalm 24:6).
Summer camp brochures have been mailed. There are significant discounts for summer camp when you register in January. I highly recommend the Christian camp and retreat experience for all children, whether in Pennsylvania, Maryland or the broader region.
