"We have nothing to fear but fear itself"

Everyone is afraid of something.  Adults are afraid of things like losing their jobs, illness, and a whole host of scenarios that only exist in their minds; kids are afraid of their balloon popping, or of one of The Avengers getting hurt (a friend of mine recently put on facebook that his little boy prayed for all of the superheroes of The Avengers by name the other night).  Whatever age you may be, there’s something you’re afraid of.

And how do we deal with these fears?  Teetering 40ft above the ground on a rope bridge and putting bugs in our mouths, obviously.

Can you guess what the theme for Logos camp is this year?  That’s right, Fear Factor! For those of you blissfully unaware of what Fear Factor is, it’s a reality show that involves three different kinds of scary stunts, may the best man win.  There are stunts with heights, stunts like something out of Hollywood, and most famously, gross stunts, like eating cockroaches or guts. 

I've had almost three weeks of vacation after English Camp, and I've been using that time to plan mini-episodes of our own Fear Factor.  Media is always a huge focus for us at camp, so this year, we're going to film an episode of Fear Factor every day.  All the kids will cycle through the competitions, and on the last day, we'll have a big finale with the winners.  

Examples, you ask? We plan to suspend some 2X4s high up in the air, strap the kids to a harness, and have them roll around in the stratosphere on a scooter.  The kids have to bob for bananas in a tank of  milk.  A competition to see who can move the most worms from point A to point B, with their mouths.  Get the idea?

Of course, it won't be all cockroaches and ropes courses.  Every day the kids will learn about what God has to say about how to handle fear, and how they can overcome what they're afraid of.  I'm particularly excited to get in on this process in the second session, where I'll be a counselor.

Personally, I'm really excited for this.  This is not actually the first large-scale Fear Factor I've organized; Eli Spire and I put on a show for 400 kids a few years ago for our churches annual All Night Party.  Come to think of it, I think anyone who has been in youth ministry long enough has probably brushed up against this theme.  All part of the job!

English Camp, Working a megaphone during Rugby

Camp starts on Saturday for the workers, and lasts until the 18th, so you won't be hearing too much from me.  Never you fear, you'll get a full update with all the juicy details and the photographic evidence at the end of August!

Good bye for now!

Пока ребята,
Russian Jane