Camp Tejas is a place that invites all people to come and serve! Children and Adults; Female and Male. You may think “Of course they do!” but as I work with elementary children you would be surprised at how few places will let 10 & 11 year old youth come to serve. For some odd reason not everyone is comfortable with kids painting, lifting heavy limbs, laying walkways etc. But Tejas does not think twice!
Camp Tejas has been a blessing to the elementary children at Community Bible Church for years. It has provided an awesome place to play and get away from the world to focus on God during the summer. But it is when we can bring those same children back to Tejas to physically work beside one another that they begin to understand why God calls us to serve others.
Camp becomes something different. It becomes a place for us to focus on our walk with Christ but more importantly it becomes a place that reaches the lost. Each of these kids has now been a part of that. Whether they know it or not, they are a part of that moment that someone is touched by God, they have given their time, sweat, and sometimes blood to make it a better place for others to know Christ. What an honor to be a part of the body of Christ in that way!
In Romans 12: 9-11, it says “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
Our attitudes determine so much of our lives. God calls us to love one another “Really Love Them”. He also says not to just work hard but to serve Him ENTHUSIASTICALLY. When we come to Camp Tejas, we physically are able to accomplish amazing things as we serve side by side. But it is really wonderful to see how teams with great attitudes can make anything fun and productive. They can smile through exhaustion and even pain because they know that their serving God not themselves. This is what I pray the kids leave Camp Tejas remembering, that we live in this world not for ourselves but for others and that we are called to serve the Lord ENTHUSIATICALLY!