In this blog post one of our staff members shares her experience of taking the Little Brick of Little Books to a Christian youth camp this summer.
In the UK, the summer months are often seen as the best of the year. And for some it is – summer means rest, freedom, a break from school or studying or work, a chance to travel, to sunbathe, to enjoy the day’s long hours. But for some, work continues just the same, or gets even busier
The weather is nice, but for some summer can feel empty, shapeless, lacking in structure or routine. For others it can be so full of plans, expectations, obligations and events that it becomes tiring or chaotic. For me, there are many good things about summer, but I struggle with the lack of structure and the change that the summer months bring.
Nevertheless, over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed building in things, like youth camp, that not only give purpose and structure to my summer, but give me the opportunity to see how God is at work in the lives of so many teenagers and young people.
I’d never been to a Christian youth camp before two years ago and back then I don’t think I saw it as something that I was likely to enjoy. I’m quick to experience sensory overload and don’t exactly flourish in social situation. But, to the surprise of both myself and a number of friends, I’ve really come to love the summer camp that I’ve started to take part in each year.
The Little Brick of Little Books came out in February, and this summer I was able to take one along. Every day I ran the ‘super chill’ option during the afternoon, giving the young people the chance to take a break from the higher energy activities and relax, do something crafty, play a game, or read.
Alongside the friendship bracelets, board games, macramé and clay sat the Little Brick, and many young people were intrigued by this vibrant and exciting resource. One camper, who was heading to university at the end of the summer, took one of each Little Book. She wanted to decorate her student room with the Bible verses that the Little Books held.
Another youth leader recognised the Little Books instantly. She shared that, when she was going through a really hard time as a student, a friend had sent her copies of Little Book of Chaos, a resource which focusses on the experience of mental illness, and that it had brought her great comfort. Since then she has been sharing copies of Little Book of Chaos with other friends who are in difficult seasons of life.
As someone who has experienced depression and anxiety for many years now, Little Book of Chaos is definitely a favourite of mine. I’m grateful for this Little Book of Chaos, for the words inside that voice the mental storm, the words that remind me of comfort and hope. I’m grateful for something tangible that I can hold in my pocket, keep on my bedside table, that I can write about at work.
One particularly precious moment from this year’s summer camp was sharing my journey to faith, my experience of mental illness and how God has been working in my life with around 120 young people during one of the evening meetings.
Another precious moment was the Bible study I led with my small group on the last morning of the camp. Several of the girls had been quite impacted by my story, and so I shared a copy of Little Book of Chaos with each member of the small group at the end of our session. Some took another to stick pages on their wall, or to give to a friend who was struggling.
Many of us, both leaders and young people, left the week with a bigger view of God, a renewed desire to live for him and the encouragement that God will be with us and sustaining us in every challenge that we face.
