I went to Ignite Camp every year from sixth grade up until I graduated high school, so I have many stories and experiences I could share with you today. The ones that are the most meaningful to me happened in my first and last years at Ignite…
My first year taught me what it meant to own my faith and truly have a relationship with God. I had an amazing cabin leader, Jayne Bak, who taught me how to journal, and do TAWG (time alone with God) because I didn’t know how to yet. Now I love to journal and this is the way I spend my time with God every single day. I also fell in love with worship music and praising God as much as I possibly can. Johnny V was the speaker and he talked about what it meant to be a disciple of God – not just saying you were a Christian, but physically acting like a disciple of Jesus. One saying I’ve held on to from that summer was to “live your life with the Holy Spirit living THROUGH you and not just in you”. As a sophomore in college now, I remind myself that everything I do should be in God’s best interest, and not my own. Things that I learned 8 years ago at Ignite have been things that I will never forget. If that doesn’t show you how impactful Ignite is, I don’t know what will!
By my last year at Ignite, I had been through a lot more in my life (at least compared to when I was an incoming sixth grader). I had experienced what it felt like to have my first heartbreak, I had made major life decisions like where to go to college, and I had been through personal struggles of anxiety and body shaming. I had many emotions going into my last year of camp. This year at Ignite there was a night where the worship and message was outside in front of a lake. It was so peaceful and calming. Johnny V was the speaker again this year. One night he called us to lay down on the grass and surrender our entire selves to God. This was when I finally decided to completely let go of the control I had on my life and give it ALL to God. I had surrendered my life to Him long before this, and I felt close to Him, but there were things in my life that I just couldn’t let go of; like my anxiety and outer appearance. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I laid on that grass. I had felt the Holy Spirit before, but this feeling was one I had never experienced. It’s like I knew God had my back no matter what, and I didn’t need to keep putting all this stress on myself. I had cold chills and I couldn’t stop crying because I was so overwhelmed by God’s presence. This moment is something I remind myself of when I start to feel anxious or worried.
Ignite Camp is an experience everyone should have because I know how much this camp has influenced my life. Do I still have anxiety and other struggles that I deal with? Of course, just because I have a relationship with God, doesn’t mean all my problems have disappeared. BUT, I can say that all my problems have been easier because I have a God of Peace, Patience, Love, and Kindness that I can go to whenever I am struggling. I would be lost without God and Ignite Camp helped me grow in my walk more than I ever thought I would. God is my peace and my savior, and I will be forever grateful for all the years I had at Ignite Camp.