Without doing a 7-part novel to talk about every story, fond memory, and fantastic person I got to meet, I can safely say it was another fantastic year at Veritas.
As I went through the week enjoying a place of sanctuary with people that passionately love the Lord and want to live for Him, John 14:1-4 ran through my mind.“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
It's hard to leave a place where you feel God so apparently. We pray hard, play hard, and love each other deeply. For the first 48 hours, it poured rain. It rarely if ever stopped. Most groups of teens would have been done then and there. And yet we were playing slip and slide in the puddles and remaining energetic during Mass and Praise and Worship. Then once the sun finally showed itself, we were all even more energetic! Nothing broke us. We never surrendered. And on top of it, we praised our God through it all.
I gave my talk on orphan care Wednesday. The days before, while hardly lost, flew by as I prayed my heart out for guidance and protection from God and the Holy Spirit. By the time my talk was done Wednesday night, the week was already half over. and the second half of the week flew by. Needless to say come Saturday Morning, we were all in tears at the thought of parting. Even Ryan Young, director and founder of the whole event, was a little misty-eyed. We were tight with each other, with our camp, with our God. None of us wanted to leave.
In the days that followed our departure from camp, we all connected via Facebook and social networking, talking even more about our experience and how much it had changed us, and all of us still missed it. Withdrawal it was indeed.
As the week had drawn to a close, all of our counselors, priests, and religious encouraged us to be God's light in our own worlds. To not forget the passion, happiness, and energy a week of being with our Lord so intimately had given us. And at the time, in our complete happiness, it had seemed easy.
But now that it was put into action, it wasn't so easy. Where was that feeling of completion, of deep communion with God? We all tried our best to be our best- but we all relied on each other for support.
Then, as I thought about all we had been taught, what we had felt, another scripture came to mind- the one that ends ALL the Gospels. All four of them. In some wording, they all lead to the same message: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20)
Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in how what we're experiencing at the time affects our relationship with God. We can believe we need all the stops just to really know what it's like to be with Him, in full majesty, glory, and awesomeness.
But Jesus didn't just promise we'd be able to go where He went. He promised He'd be where we go.
Camp Veritas 2011 Slideshow from Caleb Lococo on Vimeo.
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