English for Teens- Seeing God in Creation

Last week I went camping with 16 teenagers. We had an entire week with these kids, teaching them English and going through the camping experience with them. A lot of them are city kids who have barely had camping experience, so that was fun to deal with. I had to come up with English lessons for that week as well. The only thing I had to go off of was our theme of "A picture is worth 1000 words." I did come up with some basic plans and activities for the kids. They seemed to like it enough. They did mention that it was very similar to what they did in school. Oh well, I tried to not make it too much like school. I can only hope they enjoyed it.

We did a lot of different things with the kids. We went to a copper museum the first day where we all made our own small copper art works, we hiked to an observatory tower, got a private tour at a local church, fished, swam, got ice cream, and played games. We had fairly good weather during the week. It rained the last two days, but it wasn't too much for us, at least not for the team leaders. We were able to pack our tents before it got too wet on Friday. Other than losing one dish-drying rack on the drive home, the traveling back to the church went smoothly.

After a week at camp with these kids, I can say I appreciate the fact that my parents took my brothers and I out camping a lot when we were young. I don't scream every time I see a bug or spider, and I can eat off of utensils that have been dropped on the ground. I don't need my phone or video game with me all the time to keep me entertained, and if I get wet in the rain, it won't hurt. I watched these teenagers fuss and complain about tiny things that seemed like life and death problems for them. I hope I wasn't like that, though I probably was. I am sure all of us have gone through that stage at one point in life. Even if I did complain when we went camping, I am glad my parents made me do it. Because they took us out into nature a lot, I can fully enjoy God's creation in different ways than if I had been raised in the house all of my life. When they saw a cloud that threatened rain, they started hurrying for shelter and ran once it started to rain. I personally like rain clouds and noticing the deep and contrasting colors in clouds. I took my time in the rain, enjoying the sights of the water and the people running, and smelling the wet earth.

My friend pointed out to me that I marvel at the small things in life. It's true, and I think that is why I like photography so much. I love looking at smalls details and marveling at the creation around me. The following Sunday, after the camp, the pastor brought this up in his sermon. He made a point that we can see God and learn about God by looking at his creation and the things He has left for us on the earth. "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." Romans 1:20. We can see God's power and love in the nature that He has created around us. That is something we easily forget, especially if we see it everyday. But even if we live in the city, we don't have to go out to the woods or the mountains to see His glory in the world. Look up and watch the clouds and the birds. Look down and watch the insects and the grass and flowers. Or look around you and admire what God has allowed man to make with our imaginations. The beauty and the love of God is always around us. We just forget to look for it.

With this week of camping and looking at pictures of people and nature, I hope that those 16 teenagers learned something new. If not something new about God, then I hope it was something new about His creation, or a new way to look at the world around us. I know I learned a few things and I hope that I never forget them.