Looking Back On Champfleuri (Jeremy)

Champfleuri was an awesome experience for me and I saw God in the relationship's that I formed with the French (and Belgians). At camp I became closest to M. He was from Belgium and was a fairly fluent English speaker. I sat at the same table as him for some of the first meals we had at camp so it did not take long to get past the basic intro questions and to get into the questions that went in depth. During the hike up to the campsite on top of the mountain M and I got to talk about what we wanted to do in our future's and how we both have had to put our faith in God by trusting the career path's he has chosen for us. We both shared a common interest in serving in the military so that gave us another subject to talk about and how we both have to trust in God to watch over us as we serve our countries. For the long bus ride to the ropes course and campsite we both talked about the fellowship we have in school and how it is a small percentage of the student body that is Christian. Belgium, like France, is only about 2% Christian so finding fellowship in school for M is even harder. This really gave me an appreciation for the relationships I have with people my age at school and through the youth group. Another thing we talked about on the bus ride was country music. M had never heard it before but loved it when I played it for him. I have kept in contact with M since camp ended and he has said that there is a possibility of him coming over to Philadelphia so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

It was a blessing to have the opportunity to go to Champfleuri and spread the word the of God and to build relationship's that will last longer than the two and a half weeks we were at camp. One of the biggest things I wanted to have happen was to have no regrets of missing a chance to talk to someone or a chance to build a friendship. I can happily say that there is nothing that I can think of that I wish I would have done when it comes to relationships with the campers. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip possible and for all of the prayer we received because France and Belgium are countries that are in huge need of outreach. I was truly blessed to be a servant for Christ during this trip and hopefully will be able to be a better one at school.

God Bless,

Jeremy Holland

TED Experience (Kari)

Our time at Champfleuri was awesome!  While at camp I met F. She was really sweet and spoke English well.  When I met her on the first day I had a feeling that I’m going to get really close to her. Just by talking to her for about five minutes I could see the similarities in our personality. Later in the week, we were on a two hour bus ride to one of the highest ropes courses in France. I sat with F, and as we started to talk we both shared some of our testimony and how God has been working our life and what He has been teaching us. We both shared what we struggle within our walk, and started to encourage one another.  She was so nice and she said that it was great to come to this camp and have people around her that believe the same things that she believes and she can talk openly about it with them. This camp had really impacted her and gave her the fellowship with some Christian friends, which was really cool to hear.

During the two weeks at Champfleuri God had been working in me, especially with being intentional. Earlier at home I was only intentional because I thought that it was the right thing to do. I was not intentional because of love, which is what I should have been doing.  While at camp God really convicted me of how I was not being intentional out of love towards the girls the first couple days and how I was only being intentional because it was encouraged. Later God showed me that I should be intentional out of love and show the other girls His love through me. It was great learning that now because I can take that with me and be intentional with my friends in school, to show them God’s love for them.

Champfleuri 2012 (Liz)

God was definitely at work during Champfleuri this year! It differed from my experience in 2010 because I felt like there were more campers who classified them selves as Christians, which was exciting, but after talking with a few girls I got the sense that their religion didn't result in a different lifestyle expressing a relationship with Christ, but it was more of just a religion that they claimed to be part of. On the hike we slept out under the stars overnight, and it was while we were scrunched on top of each other on a small tarp that God gave me the opportunity to talk with A, and encourage her in her walk with Christ. She was struggling greatly with family issues, and when I encouraged her to pray about it, she didn't really understand how she was to pray. God used this opportunity for me to talk about prayer with her and to pray side by side with her about her family struggle. The large group meeting previously that day was focused on suffering, and at night we were also able to talk about how the talk had a great impact on her which led into conversation on how what was said upfront applies to her life. God really opened her heart to talk to me that night, and I am very thankful that God used me to help encourage a sister in Christ.
On a more personal note, I felt that God was also at work in me during TED. The night before the campers arrived I became very nervous about meeting all these new campers and battling through the language barrier. The next morning I could tell that God had eased my fears, and that everything was going to be okay. As the campers arrived I, by the grace of God, was able to step out of my comfort zone and get to know many of the french campers. God helped me to understand during the two weeks of TED that I wasn't just serving others and stepping out of my comfort zone in order to be the ideal 'intentional camper', but rather it was for the ultimate purpose of furthuring God's kingdom through truly loving the other (in Corey's words :)), and in my case encouraging them in the name of Christ as they faced the struggles of life. Thank you all for your prayers, they were greatly appreciated!

My Champfleuri Experience (Graham)

During my two weeks in France I grew close to a couple of other guys. One was in my small group, who I will refer to as B. I really started talking to him after he read his testimony in front of the whole group in the grange (or our meeting area). He talked about the death of his sister and how deeply it affected him, specifically his grades. It was a depressing story, but through all his struggles B managed to find God at work. After his testimony, I began talking to B more regularly. About his church, his faith, and above all offering my time should he ever need to talk to someone for support. It was a sad goodbye when he parted two weeks ago, and sadly B does not have a Facebook.

Another camper I grew close to I will refer to as P. P spoke perfectly English so his interest in the camp wasn't about learning the language, but growing closer in his faith. I gave P my copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis during the camp and asked him to read what he could in hopes that we would be able to discuss it later on. We finally had a chance to when the camp took a field trip to the largest high ropes course in France, which was about an hour and half away. During the trip we discussed the first half of the book; my mission through the book discussion was to try and bring P a step forward with his faith, where he would start baring witness to others and teach others of Christ. And while I believe I made significant steps forward with P, I also spent a lot of time offering support for problems in his life that he shared with me.

Part of my job at Champfleuri was to bring others further in their faith, but during my time there I found myself also helping the spiritually-wounded. This I believe will stick with them more than anything. At camp, all the campers developed a passion for one of the worship songs called Shelter by Jars of Clay. If you haven't heard the song, I strongly suggest you listen to it. The song gave us the push to support and help one another in our faith, to bare our sins and struggles onto each other so that we may be cleansed by Jesus. A verse I always keep in mind surrounding this experience comes from James 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

I will always remember the lessons I learned at Champfleuri and carry them with me to college next year. I hope to return again at some point.

Camp experience (Corey)

In my last Champfleuri blog (sad face) I'm going to briefly talk about a friendship I formed with a girl whose initial is M and a cool lesson that God taught me.
M was in my small group so we saw each other daily, but I hadn't talked to her too much by the third day of camp. After cabin clean up and before small groups on the third full day, some French campers were playing knockout on the bball court. I joined them, but got eliminated rather quickly thanks to my lack of basketball skills. After I got out, I starting talking to M. I asked how big her church was and she said about 100 people, which is pretty big for France, she told me. Through the flow of conversation I learned that English missionaries circulated frequently through her church, so she knew people who were sent to Africa, Spain, and other parts of France. I also learned that she was baptized 3 years ago, and her brother just this past year. That was the coolest thing to me, that she, in her faith and through God, could have such an effect on her brother. Although she, her mom, and her brother are the only Christians in her family of six, she clearly is living her life for God, and I loved getting to know her more as camp continued.
God really humbled me at the "non-musical night of worship" this year. In the middle of it, I all of a sudden realized how small I am in comparison to God and His power. As hokey as it sounds, it felt like I had a sudden epiphany. God is so huge and in control of everything, I think it's crazy that all He desires from me is that I love Him and live to honor Him. It's all I can do, but that's enough for Him! How awesome is that?! It was a lesson of love and one that I will never forget.
Camp TED was amazing and life-changing this year. I am so so thankful to have had this opportunity a second time and to have had so much support from our church family! Thank you to everyone who supported and prayed for our team, both from GVPC and elsewhere.

--Corey

Hello Home Team! -

Well, our Champfleuri 2012 trip has now ended in terms of physical location ... we're home!  But there is much in the way of processing going on ... for French campers (Facebook friend requests are flying!) and American campers all the same.  This year, I would say that I saw as much growth in our team as I did in some French campers ... all in the direction of becoming disciples/apprentices of Christ Jesus.

I have asked that each member of the Champfleuri Team blog in the next few days about:

1.  One relationship that was formed (they will only be using first initials for safety purposes) and the worth of that relationship.
2.  One piece of learning that they came away with.

As always, we will be presenting snapshots from the trip on a Sunday night in September (I believe Sunday night, September 30th) ... so mark your calendars!

I will be back in about 2 weeks with a wrap up blog as well ... much to reflect on and gain perspective (where could I/we see God at work).

Thank you for tremendous prayer and financial support.  May our students and our many French friends be considering God's work in their lives!

Blessings,
Jim Shack

10 minutes to blog (graham)

Well we don't like it, but the end has come.

All the French campers are gone and, as always, the Philly team is the awkward stragglers.

To give a quick overview of the next couple days, we will be leaving Champfleuri for Grenoble. Then from Grenoble, we catch a train for Lyon. Tonight we will be staying at a church in Lyon and grabbing dinner with Cecile (a counselor and good friend to the group, who also blogged). Then tomorrow morning we will be grabbing a train from Lyon to Annecy (thank you Marie for spell-check). In Annecy we will be touring the town and lake with Emily, Tibo, and Juliette (other counselors of Champfleuri) and Elodie's brother. We are super-excited for this not only because it will be our last day in France but Annecy is also one of the most beautiful lake-areas in Europe. After the day has come to a close, we will be taking the train back to Lyon and staying at the church again. Then at 4:30 AM Thursday morning, we will be waking up and going to Lyon's airport to catch a flight to Heathrow in London. The group will have a 4-hour layover there before we catch our next flight back to Philly. We estimate that our arrival time at the church will be about 6 pm.

To all that miss us, we will be home soon. This will most likely be our last blog post as we aren't sure if we will have wifi-access in Lyon or Annecy.

This is Graham Davis signing off..

Good night, and good luck.