5,000 Tents and 10,000 Blessings!

When I was a Youth Ministries major at Western Bible College, we had a summer school class called 'Camping and Wilderness Ministries'.  Part of the class was to spend a week backpacking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  It was quite the adventure and I enjoyed sleeping in a tent for a week.  Of course, I looked like this back then:

Yes, that's really me!

Needless to say, a few years have passed and sleeping on the ground is not nearly as appealing as it was back then.  So...when Jim broke the news to me that we would be camping out in tents with the youth group, I put on my best 'puppy dog' eyes and asked if we could sleep in a real bed. 

This past week-end was a gathering of 5,000 youth and staff of the FeG denomination from all over Germany.  Now, how do you house 5,000 young people at a conference center?  Why, of course, you turn the parking lots into campgrounds and everyone sets up a tent!

Some of the tents

Well, it's not quite 'wilderness', but it is still tents!  It was a glorious time of worship, drama, speakers and, of course, Frisbee, bungee jumping and mechanical bull riding!  (Had to ride real bulls in the Sangre de Cristos!) Everything a teenager could want!!!

It was a great time to connect relationally with the students and, no, I didn't sleep in a tent.  A gracious family allowed Jim and me to lay our aging backs down in a wonderful bed with an incredible shower just down the hall!  Now, this is what I call camping out!!!!!

You can watch a trailer of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLE2Q7euBCk

Jim waiting in the meal line with our group.

Amazing worship time...some even in English!!!

Some of the girls

Jim in the middle of things, as usual!