The question we grapple with is not so much who is our  neighbor, but what does a neighbor DO?.  (Luke 10: 36-37).  How do we LOVE our neighbor and why is it important?  That's what Youth Camp July 2017 was all about.

Whenever someone goes on one of the Mission Trips to Cuba, they are amazed by the love they receive from the people in Cuba.  So having a youth camp about love and relationships may seem a bit over the top.  Don’t they have this love thing down pat?   Not really.

Cuba’s culture is for the most part relational.  People are interested in people; they talk to each other easily and like to know what’s going on in the neighbors’ life.  But that does not necessarily play out into loving God or reflecting His love.

So this camp was about establishing relationships on the foundation of God’s love--  loving God, loving ourselves, loving people we don’t like or marginalize.  It was about reconciliation and forgiveness; and key components of love—compassion, involvement, inclusive community, and support so a person does not feel alone.