19 JUNE 2017
What a beautiful first day it has been! The day started off with staffers excited and slightly nervous to start off the week. The anticipation was in the air. You could smell it, see it, feel it and it was intoxicating. At around 11:30 a.m. campers strolled in in groups. Some of them knew each other, some of them had the familiarity of long-lost friends even though they were meeting for the first time...
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20 JUNE 2017
Day two has been all about challenges! With a ropes course, strength training and football to start off their day, the young men of J.A.M were in for a lesson of perseverance while keeping an eye on God...
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21 JUNE 2017
A day of rest and recuperation before the storm. Literally and figuratively. Today, the young men at J.A.M had the chance to have a little less rigor in the activities. They started off their day with some praise and worship before Bishop McGuire gave them a lesson on what it meant to be hurting for certain. The young men learned about some of the challenges they may face during their journey to greatness. Bishop McGuire told them what it meant to be battling stronger devils on their upward journey...
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A S.P.E.C.I.A.L day! Today the young men were challenged to apply all the principles they had been learning up to this point in the camp. It was inspiring to see them push through their own limits so they can be team players, but most of all understand Christ's own suffering for them...
22 & 23 JUNE 2017
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DAY 1: AUDIENCE OF ONE, INSIDE GAME
June, 19, 2017
What a beautiful first day it has been! The day started off with staffers excited and slightly nervous to start off the week. The anticipation was in the air. You could smell it, see it, feel it and it was intoxicating. At around 11:30 a.m. campers strolled in in groups. Some of them knew each other, some of them had the familiarity of long-lost friends even though they were meeting for the first time, some were quiet, observant but you could feel it in the way their eyes shifted, scoping, ready to make some new friends.
Once everyone was in and settled, a little introduction to the camp was officiated by Mr. John Oliver, whose presence could not be missed as soon as he walked into a room. A man full of life and love for Christ, it was infectious. He welcomed the campers and told them what to expect from the rest of the week. They then shuffled out for a little break before a mini-bible study session that tied into sports begun.
In that session, the young campers learned about the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. This biblical story of the dangers of idolizing gods that do not respond or listen versus a God who is mighty and responds, was used as a stepping stone for the day's theme.
Audience of One, was the overarching theme of the day and it was a reminder for the campers that in all that they do they have to remember to do it for Christ's glory. At the end of the day, the idols that we worship such as: money, fame, popularity etc. will not respond to us or be faithful to us the same way the Lord is.
This theme of maintaining God as our spectator rolled onto the afternoon sports activity which was volleyball. Most of the young men hadn't played volleyball much, so it was meant to take them out of their comfort zone and in the spirit of competition, also remind them that they're doing it for His glory.
During volleyball, they were all enthusiastic and very athletic. They demonstrated great sportsmanship and charisma. The athletes' chemistry was unmatched as they worked together even as they competed against each other.
The day was capped off with some praise and worship, team-bonding activities and an intimate recap session.
An overall successful day reflecting on what it means to do all things for His glory and not for earthly praise because earthly praise is fleeting but His love and grace stay true through time!
"I really got a coming out of your shell feel today, I feel like all the exercises and the atmosphere from the people was don't get caught up in what other people see, but just focus on your relationship with God...
just being yourself, figuring out what God has in store for you"
- Tamarion Jackson, J.A.M June 19, 2017.
DAY 2: HOLY SWEAT, WHOLLY SURRENDER
June 20 2017
Day two has been all about challenges! With a ropes course, strength training and football to start off their day, the young men of J.A.M were in for a lesson of perseverance while keeping an eye on God.
Today, the athletes learnt how to overcome their fears and trust in their willpower but most of all to trust in God. The ropes course involved a zip lining bit which proved to be very challenging because it involved letting go and trusting. Trusting in the equipment, trusting in the staff when they said everything will go well, trusting in uncle DYT, an enthusiastic, charismatic man who truly felt like that uncle at the barbecue that always makes everyone laugh. Most importantly, it was a lesson in faith. It was trusting blindly that you can let go of control, you can surrender yourself to God.
Another group of young men was at the strength training and football session. They learnt to break a sweat while surrendering control and themselves to what they were doing, and reflect on what it meant to surrender to God.
It was amazing to witness how much the power of sports and the power of the spirit intertwined to make stronger and more wholesome individuals. Taylor, the friendliest yet vivacious trainer, got the young men through several reps of strength training. You could see it in their eyes that they felt like giving up, but they kept going even harder because they were surrendering their body to the training.
The day continued on with a praise and worship session where more young men got comfortable with praising without the pressure of what they may look like.
A mini Bible study session followed praise and worship, which was then followed by some eye-opening lessons by Bill Aden. Aden taught the young men what it truly meant to wholly surrender their lives especially as teenagers.
The day was capped off with another praise and worship session and a special talk about relationships.
With another successful day under J.A.M's belt, we look forward to the rest of the week!
DAY 3: HURTING FOR CERTAIN
June 21, 2017
A day of rest and recuperation before the storm. Literally and figuratively. Today, the young men at J.A.M had the chance to have a little less rigor in the activities. They started off their day with some praise and worship before Bishop McGuire gave them a lesson on what it meant to be hurting for certain. The young men learned about some of the challenges they may face during their journey to greatness. Bishop McGuire told them what it meant to be battling stronger devils on their upward journey. The message was strong, clear and eye-opening for the men as they reflected on what it meant to them to be great at life but most importantly to be great at their relationship with Christ.
They then played some volleyball to continue to sharpen their team-work skills before breaking off for lunch.
After lunch, they took a much-needed trip off of the Athletes In Action camp to go to a detention center. There they met a well-versed and learned man who spoke of his tumultuous past and the times he spent at a detention center. The message was clear to the young men that in the process of learning to live and navigate life, it is all the more difficult without the Lord by their side.
They all headed to do a service project in downtown Dayton where the lesson of the day was that it was important to help those in need, if you're capable of it. Most importantly, it is essential to help your neighborhood and the people in it, so as to make it a livable environment for future generations.
To cap off their day, they played some basketball at Cedarville University and headed back to AIA to call it a night.
As the final days of J.A.M approach, the young men will be challenged to strengthen and apply the principles they've been taught thus far!
DAY 4 and DAY 5: VICTORY BEYOND COMPETITION
June 22 & 23, 2017
A S.P.E.C.I.A.L day!
Today the young men were challenged to apply all the principles they had been learning up to this point in the camp. It was inspiring to see them push through their own limits so they can be team players, but most of all understand Christ's own suffering for them.
The day started off with some praise and worship and it was phenomenal! It was evident that there was a change in them, in their hearts, their minds and the state of their souls. They worshipped whole-heartedly with open hearts and minds. It was amazing to see how far they had come along from who they were on Monday and who they were on this day of worship.
After worship, they did their mini-bible study and got a word from Bishop McGuire. Bishop talked about knowing their purpose and sticking to it. He advised them on the importance of keeping their eyes on God while trying to keep their eyes on their goals.
After the word they all went to play volleyball as they continued to apply what they had learnt and build up on it. They then broke off for some lunch before the true challenges of the day begun.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L was one of the most inspiring activities of the day! The young men pushed themselves to be resilient in all the drills. They started off with some volleyball then football. Afterward, they did some push-up challenges which proved to be the first test of their resilience and application of their faith.
They then did a crossfit challenge where teamwork was key! It was beautiful to watch these young men care for their teammates and encourage them throughout their journey with Christ and through the challenges.
The day concluded at about 9:30 p.m. with other challenges as well. However, their test wasn't over yet...
On Friday, the campers continued on with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L -Spirit Principles + Exhaustion = Confidence In the Almighty Lord training. they woke up at 5 a.m. to finish off their training.
Even as some of them felt they couldn't keep going, the mentors, director and physical trainers were all there to encourage them to finish off strong. They had a routine where they had to carry a cross, like Christ did on the day of his crucifixion.
Through all this, the lesson was to put themselves in Christ's shoes and somewhat experience some of the things He experienced on his journey.
After they were finished with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. training, the campers went back to their rooms to rest and recuperate before the closing ceremony.
At the closing ceremony, Pastor Williams gave them some lessons on how to move forward on their journey with Christ. He challenged them with three key life plans:
1) Sexual Purity
2) Stay in School
3) Finish Strong
?He shared his story about how he got saved when he was 19 years old and told them that it was one of the best things that happened in his life. Afterwards, he asked if anyone wanted to be saved. The young men went up one by one until everyone was up there reciting a prayer of rebirth.
It was moving to see how willing and enthusiastic each one of them was about accepting Christ into their own lives. The camp concluded with testimonies from the campers about their experiences from the camp and some of the things they felt changed inside of them.
After a week of watching these young men grow and take the first steps in being more Christ-like. It was amazing to see God's work in all the leaders, mentors and young men. We praise God for His continuous mercy, grace and power to transform lives.