by Nevaeh Sauseda
Over the Summer, I had great opportunities to attend several camp sessions. In total, I was able to spend 5 weeks attending a combination of missions trips and church camps in 3 different states. One of the most memorable moments for me would be a camp session I got to go to in Springfield, Missouri.
We left for the trip the day after Memorial Day. Because of the nearly 8 hour road trip, we had to leave before 6 in the morning. Ashlyn Baker and I were two out of six students who were able to attend. Along with our youth pastor, we drove to Pittsburgh, Kansas where we got in a van with the other 4 Kansas students.
The road trip was a great bonding experience. We had never had a conversation with the people from our state, but it was a very eye opening experience to hear how their faith affected their lives.
We got into Springfield in the afternoon. We arrived at Evangel University, a Christian school. We were greeted by leaders from all around the country and were able to meet almost 70 kids from 35 different states. Kansas was the largest group from the same state, but we enjoyed getting to participate with such a diverse group.
The camp was officially titled “Called Camp.” It was meant for students under the age of 20 who had felt a ministry calling. The entire week was packed full of worship sets, devotionals, team bonding, and activities meant to teach you in specific ministry tracks.
The leaders there were all affiliated with the national board from the Assemblies of God. We were able to tour the national office and also meet some of the highest leaders in the denomination. It was amazing to be able to communicate one-on-one with these high officials and for them to recognize us by name.
Towards the end of the week, we had already formed small friend groups with many kids around the country. Some of the bonds we made have been life changing. The information we were able to take away will be used in my ministry schooling and career. To this day, I have been blessed to stay in communication with the amazing people I got to meet. I was able to visit some of them on a later trip to Orlando for the General Council, also affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination.
The Longhorn 