You Gotta Have Faith

We just finished Junior Week 1.  We were close to being completely full and had sufficient staff to have a great week.  I continued to tell the stories on the morning hikes.  Last week I explained how we told the story of David and Goliath and connected it to how we use words to show what’s in our heart.  The next idea in 1 Timothy 4:12 is faith.  To illustrate faith I decided to tell the story of Gideon.  (I had to make it clear to the campers this week that I was not talking about Gilligan or Gulliver.)

I tell about how Gideon could not believe that God would use him to rescue Israel from oppression.  I have a “fleece” and talk about how Gideon put it out to be sure that God is really speaking to him.

After I tell that part of the story we go down to the lake.  Here I tell the kids about how God weeded the army down to 300 men.  I show them how the men had to drink from the lake and they were chosen by the way they drank. 

Then we head off to the Three Hills trail.  It is my favorite hike with some very steep rocks to climb, lots of beautiful moss covering the hills, lots of shade, and interesting things to look at along the way.  When we get to the top of the third hill we stop to rest and I tell the end of the story.  I tell how Gideon and his men surrounded the enemy in the hills.  The kids are always amazed at their weapons—a trumpet, a pitcher, and a torch.  For my telling I use large tin cans for the pitchers and a whistle for the trumpets.  I don’t have a torch or light because it’s in the middle of the day and you can’t see the light much.

In the end what I wanted them to get from the story is that faith is believing in God so that you are willing to take a risk when God calls you to do something.  Gideon took a big risk in facing the enemy with 300 men and no real weapons, but his faith brought great glory to God because there was no way they should have won the battle.  We go back and talk about how David took a risk in believing he could defeat Goliath.

For game time I wanted to play something that would tie into our story; I wanted a game where the campers would have to take a risk, but where there would be no danger.  I came up with my own version of “Let’s Make a Deal.”  (For you younger folks, I’m not talking about “Deal or No Deal.”)  In our game have several challenges that come down to one overall winner.  That winner is presented with a choice:  they may have a free snack item, or they may risk trading that item for what is behind door 1, 2, or 3.  This week some of the campers played it safe and kept their snack item, but others took the risk.  Some got some good prizes; others not so good.

Eric won dinner with me.  I thought it was a dud of a prize
but everyone who has won it so far has been really pumped about it.

One of the guys from the Bears cabin won supper with Goliath.

It’s been a lot of fun for the kids and for us to watch the whole thing play out.  They’ve been good sports about it all, and I hope our lesson on faith has had an impact.  We top it off by singing the song we sing in Kids’ Club back home:  “You Gotta Have F-A-I-T-H.”