JULY 12th - 17th, 2009
Reported by: Connor Sealock
"Jesus
Christ was at my summer camp!” This quote by Louie Giglio is the best
way to describe our time at Daytona Beach, Florida. Not only were Chris
Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Leeland, and the David Crowder Band in
attendance, but most importantly Jesus Christ Himself. His Presence
surrounded us and opened our hearts to the teaching presented during
the week, and made what could have been a simple vacation into an
awesome, life-changing experience for the youth of CBC.
Our adventure began on Sunday, June 12th,
when we traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to Daytona Beach. Our group had
a great time on the 10 hour drive to Florida playing the Alphabet game,
talking, and sleeping, our favorite activity. However, no one was
sleeping when we arrived in downtown Daytona at the gorgeous Oceanwalk
Resort where we would be spending our week.
Our first night was spent finding our rooms and organizing our things. For
the guys in my room, this meant finding a corner in which to stash our
belongings. Our rooms were extremely nice, with a kitchenette, living
room, bedroom, and balcony. The balcony (especially the balcony off of
the room on the 13th floor, which happened to be the guys’
room) offered an incredible view of the beach, the ocean, and the
gorgeous sunrises. After designating our respective corners, the Three
Musketeers (Ariyel Carver, David Menear, and myself), along with
Shannon, changed into our swimsuits and hit the pool at 11:30 p.m. The
girls watched from their balcony, clearly jealous.
Monday
was spent getting acquainted with Daytona, particularly the beach.
After a day of sun, waves, and bodysurfing, we had our first session
with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin, which opened a week filled with
incredible teaching and worship. Each session with Louie and Chris
brought new perspectives, new joys, new revelations, and new reasons to
stand in awe of our Lord and Savior.
To
worship alongside nearly 7,000 other believers, to watch unbelievers
surrender to Jesus all around you, and to experience the presence of
God and His Glory: truly, there is nothing that can compare. I could
have stayed there forever, singing and dancing for the glory and honor
of the Lord alongside my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I
believe God gave us a tiny taste of what worship in heaven might be
like, and after that experience, I cannot wait.
I’m
incredibly grateful to have been a part of this youth conference, which
has been an amazing experience both for me and the rest of the youth
group. The trip gave the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work changes in
our softened hearts and bring us closer together as friends and as
brothers and sisters in Christ. We are now a strong unit, looking for
new ways in which we can serve our Lord and strengthen our bonds in
Christ. We look forward to sharing the fire God has sparked in our
lives.
Sincerely,
Connor
