well it had been over a month since my last post, and the reason for this is pretty much ’cause I’ve been busy most of the summer so far. So i am going to do a very quick recap of what I’ve been up to.
The summer started officially for me on the 18th June when my a-levels finished, and basically until beginning of July i was working and trying to get some money. The on 5th July i headed off to do Christian 
Youth In Action (CYIA). Basically CYIA is part of the youth work in CEF. This was the first time that it happened in the Mid-Antrim area. There were about 25 of us and we stayed together in 2nd Broughshane church for a week. On the Sunday we were split into our teams of 4 and went out into the estates where we were working and gave out invitations to our 5 day clubs. Basically the point of the week was for each team to go into different estates around the mid-antrim area and have 3 5 day clubs each day. So the team i was in was based in Randalstown. Our first 5 day club was a complete failure, we had no kids at it, which was kind of depressing, but we tried to stay positive for the others. Our second 5 day club was all of the teams favourite. We had about 10-12 each day roughly, and spiritually they knew nothing. All the kids were either foreign or catholic so it was brilliant to be able to tell them about God. On the Thursday during this club however all of us were on breaking point. The kids were just really disruptive, wouldn’t listen, and it was just so depressing. One kid in particular, Fat John (as he called himself), was awful. Before this day he was generally good but on the thursday he was just awful. So that night we were really down-hearted and did the only thing we knew would help, we prayed. Sometimes we sort of doubt God and aren’t totally reliable on Him, but the next day Gos just showed us that we need to fully relay on Him. The whole club was calm, they listened so well, and “Fat” John was so well behaved, he listened, he even held my notes for the story as the wind started to blow them away. I believe God was really working in that estate, and i just pray that He will continue to work in those kids lives. Finally our third 5 day club of the week was really good also. Pretty much all the kids were church or sunday school kids so they knew all the answers and were enthusiastic about the quiz and memory verse etc. It was still brilliant though to be able to reach these kids and teach them about God.
For the following few weeks i just worked for a bit. From the 19th to the 25th July was CEF Mid-Antrim Juniors Camp. Unfortunately this year i was not a leader at it as i needed to work to get some money. Even more unfortunately, the week of that camp i only got hours for one day which was annoying. On the tuesday of that camp i went up to visit them, and to be honest on the way home i was quite sad as being at the camp and chatting to some of the kids that i knew from the previous year made me really miss Jnr camp and wish i was there.
On the following Friday night (25th July) 21 camp leaders, including myself, went to see Batman: The Dark Knight. OH MY GOODNESS! I was slightly skeptical about how good ie would be and how well Heath Ledger would portray the Joker. But i was completely blown away by it. Ledger did what i thought was a brilliant job, as well as Bale, Oldman, everyone really.
Then on 26th July CEF Mid-Antrim Inters camp started. I was a leader at this one, and it was in
credible. We were staying in Ballycastle High School, from the Saturday (26th) to the following Friday (1st). The teaching this year was from the book of Romans and was done by a good friend of mine, Chris McCune. Some people think that at camp the teaching is just for the campers, but I know personally that i got a lot out of what Chirs said, and i know that a lot of other leaders did as well. The one part that really spoke to me was on the thursday morning when Chris was speaking on Romans 12v1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12 v 1-2
This just really challenged me ’cause over the last 6 months or so these two verses have come up so many times. To be honest i wasn’t really doing what these verses were telling me to. But i knew i had to. So basically since i have been trying to live for God, not be part of this world. These verses came at the perfect time, cause i had been thinking bout things like this and were wondering and different aspects of stuff, and this just totally answered prayer for what i had been looking for. God was working that week, 9 kids became Christians that week. God is AWESOME!
Then last night (sunday) i was out at Green Pastures. I’ve wanted to go since it opened just to see what it was like. I must say that the worship was amazing, the singing was incredible, you could really feel the Spirit of God in that place. It was a special guest speaker that night so i don’t know what the speaking is usually like, but one thing that the guy who was speaking said stuck in my mind. He said this following week live for God. In your work, at home, out with your friends, LIVE FOR GOD!
We need to live for God everyday, I need to live for God everyday. We need to change the world…
…change the world for God
CEF Mid-Antrim Inters Camp Leaders
