Winter Fest is stressing me out!

High School Winter Fest is December 30, 2007 to January 1, 2008. It's over New Year's Eve and I have a pretty amazing party planned. We will have a square dance (which in spite of it's old time reputation is a barrel of fun!) and party games, like "Pin the Cross on the Bible" and hula hoop contests and the limbo. Plus, we'll be in the Activity Center so we can play basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, pickle ball or any other game we come up with. There's also a whole floor of "table games" like air hockey, pool, ping pong, carpetball and others. It will be so much fun. Having High School Winter Fest over New Year's Eve was a great idea. High Schoolers can come and be themselves, be loud and wild and crazy and be encouraged to do so! Parents can enjoy their New Year's Eve without worrying about their teenager driving home late at night in possible bad weather, they know it will be well supervised. It's a great idea . . . on paper.

However, no one wants to come. Registration is at an all time low. Because it's over a holiday, high schoolers look at me like, "Are you really that old to think we'd want to go to CAMP for New Year's Eve??" (No, I am NOT that old!) I don't know how to get people here! The party is really just a ploy to convince people it will be fun and to just kick back and have fun! The whole point of Winter Fest is to give your spiritual life a nice kick in the pants. It's been a while since the Mennonite Youth Convention and our spiritual enthusiasm begins to look as dreary as the winter sky. God is constantly working through people here at camp. It's hard for youth to hear God in the midst of homework, peer pressure and hormones. Camp acts as an amplifier for God's voice. If they aren't here, it's harder to hear what God has to say.

Through this situation, I've often thought of the parable from Luke 14: 15-24.

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.’ The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’

Now, I only wish that I had servants who knew where to find the youth in town that needed a safe place to be for New Year's Eve. Even if I knew where to find the youth that needed to be at camp. My biggest prayer is God would somehow bring the youth to camp. My table IS set, open the doors and fill this house!