Monday Morning in North Georgia
 
 

We can learn so much by serving others!
-Bishop Mike Watson


With Faith and Christ

I found out about the Experiential Leadership Institute (ELI) program of Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries through my mom and my church. My mom said that it was going to be a great opportunity and that I would be able to put my leadership skills to the test. (And she was right!)

The week of ELI training was very enjoyable. We got to act like little kids when we were trying out some games that we would play with the children once day camps started later in the summer. It was so much fun! The first few hours of the first day were kind of silent though. We were all from different places. Some knew each other from past summers, while others, like me, were new to the whole ELI experience and camp ministry in general. But once we got to know each other, we all became closer, like a family.

A key part of the ELI experience is to put the leadership skills you have gained through the program’s training to use as a counselor for Grow Day Camps. The first week I volunteered was for the Flat Shoals UMC day camp in Decatur. I was nervous since it was my first time being a counselor, but after a day or so I found that I was in the right place leading people closer to God.

I wouldn’t say it was easy though. Leading a group of children can be very challenging. Toward the middle of the week, I reached my breaking point. I was frustrated by not feeling like I could keep control of my group. But once I had a break away from everyone, I could see again how happy the kids were, and that they were enjoying a little having fun ... the kind of fun that most of them don’t get to have all the time and that a lot of us take for granted.

That’s what drove me to keep going. I realized that even though the kids may test our patience, we have to realize that most of them don’t have this kind of experience every day. And as each day passed, I watched their smiles grow larger and their bonds as friends grow tighter. I also learned something from the kids, which was surprising since we were the ones who were supposed to be doing the teaching. My group of children helped me realize that sometimes we all just need to smile and laugh and enjoy the moment.

I came into the ELI experience with leadership skills from the sports that I play, but I was a little shy about taking a lead role outside of sports. Now I know more about my natural strengths and how to use them in a variety of new settings, and I’m the first to volunteer and take on harder tasks because through ELI, I learned that everything is possible with faith and Christ.
 
Jorge Andres Garza de Leon is a high school junior, a 2014 Experiential Leadership Institute (ELI) Participant and a member of McEachern Memorial UMC in Powder Springs. ELI is a leadership development program designed specifically for rising 11th-12th graders who want to make a difference in the lives of others in Christian service and gain leadership experience before leaving home for college. Read more at www.ngumc.org/ELI.


Prayer Focus for the Week

Faithful God, lead us to opportunities that deepen our faith, grow our compassion, and bring us closer to you. In Christ's name, Amen. 
-Bishop Watson