Praise Jesus for a successful Hub Camp 2019!
Though I’d only officially been in Texas a few weeks I decided to take the leap and sign up to be a Hub Camp leader for the Valley Creek Church youth group. I honestly thought I would be the one pouring out into these 6th grade girls’ lives, but never expected them to pour truth into me.
It all started when I watched Ethan, a 6th grade boy complete this high ropes obstacle course fondly called, “Stairway to Heaven.” My heart was pounding as I cheered for him and watched him complete the course. I knew I needed to face my own fear of heights once again and overcome it; I needed to show my 6th grade girls’ that Jesus is their overcomer.
So I ran back to the cabin and yelled out, “Who wants to come see me overcome a fear?” A small group of my 6th grade girls and one leader set out to be my cheering squad for my turn on the Stairway to Heaven. I was nervous to say the least but was determined more than ever to finish the course.
As I began my climb up the pole to the first platform, I pulled my way up using the spokes poking out of the pole and one of the spokes broke off just as I stepped on it. I bear hugged the pole for dear life. OMG. Was I really doing this? My trusted belayer reassured me that that wasn’t supposed to happen and that he would make sure I was safe the rest of the course.
My insides wanted to explode. I felt nauseaus. “Stop it,” I told my body. “Calm down, you just jumped out of plane a few months ago, this is no big deal. Remember, Jesus is with you.”
I began the bear crawl up the slanted rope ladder with metal rungs. Okay, one foot, one hand, one foot, one hand. I tried to breathe, but a third of the way up, my legs started shaking, and the rope ladder started swaying along with the vibrations of my legs. “Jesus!” I declared the only name I knew could banish my fear and doubt. Suddenly, I heard my cheering squad from below:
“L-A-URA-Laura is brave today!” The voices of these precious 6th grade girls reached my ears, and I looked down at them waving and cheering for me to keep going. I felt tears in my eyes. Wow. Last night’s service was focused on how Jesus was our freedom, and we could defeat the lies that held us back from following Him and walking in our purpose. Wasn’t fear a lie?
With every cheer from my girls, I felt Jesus take away my fear and replace it with holy confidence. “L-A-URA-Laura is brave today!” I started to redefine my identity.
Still stranded on the rope ladder, I forced myself to keep going with the same confidence, declaring Jesus’ name as I went. My 6th grade girls kept cheering. The ladder felt like it went on forever, then I heard them yell, “You’re almost there!” One hand, one foot, one hand, one foot. Slowly I made my way to my first platform. I wanted to burst. I screamed for joy and my cheering squad screamed with me.
But I wasn’t finished. This course was something out of American Ninja Warrior or something, because following the endless rope ladder, there was a log you had to cross, then a suspension bridge with uneven boards. I held onto the belaying rope above me and tried to find my center of gravity. The log was round, and you had to do a tightrope style walk in order to keep your body centered on the log. I was uncertain, but I knew I had to be obedient and keep moving forward. I needed to show these girls that Jesus could help them even in uncertain situations.
As I thought about them, the cheering squad from below yelled out my favorite verse in fearful situations, “There is no fear in love because perfect love casts out all fear.” (1 John 4:18a)
I was so encouraged by hearing those words, and especially by hearing those words being recited by my 6th graders! Bolstered by these truths, I made my way rapidly across the log section and found rest on the next platform. Just a little bit more!
We cheered together again, and, having found my center of gravity as well as remembered those truths in Jesus during the log part, the last section wasn’t as difficult as I imagined it to be. I just focused on those truths, internalized the girl’s cheers, held onto the rope above me, and focused my steps on the uneven planks. In only a few minutes, I was standing on the final platform, the one that would lead to the victorious zipline descent from the top of the climbing wall.
Adrenaline coursed through my body as I stepped onto the platform, and I screamed, “Praise Jesus!” Then I turned to my faithful cheering squad of 6th grade girls, and thanked them profusely. It was truly their presence and specific cheers full of truth from Jesus that got me through the Stairway to Heaven challenge.
Afterward, one of my girls ran up to me, “You know Jesus is kind of like that rope you were holding onto. He’s all you got, so you have to hold on tight!”
And I have to agree, these girls reminded me of many important truths during this challenge:
- Hold onto Jesus like He’s the only thing you’ve got!
- Declare your true identity over your fears: I am brave. I am God’s daughter. I am loved. I am never alone.
- Your cheers and encouragement can mean more than you realize, and your words just might be what they need to keep on running the race.
- You never know what impact your example will have, whether it’s your willingness to be obedient and step out in faith or your willingness to walk in truth and confidence even when you don’t know what the future will hold. Several of my girls went on to not only complete the Stairway to Heaven challenge, but conquer their fears in Jesus’ name!
Other major highlights of the week:
-Getting to serve with my husband, Jovanni; even though we were with our different teams most of the time, we were able to find each other occasionally and swap mind-blowing God stories
-Watching girls who didn’t know each other at the beginning of the week, become close friends and pray/encourage each other specifically throughout the week
-Themes: Jesus is our forgiveness. Jesus is our friend. Jesus is freedom. Jesus is our future.
-Having our girls ask us to get up early and watch the sunrise and spend time with Jesus
-Cheering the Blue Magellan team on during all the team games and being creative together
-10 of our girls asked Jesus to be their Savior or rededicated their lives to Jesus and 8 want to be baptized in the fall!
-Many truths spoken over our girls and watching them be Generation Hope to each other!
