Christian LeFlore
November 21, 2007
I've been with CAM for almost six months now. The work and
accomplishment we get done in the short time frame we have is always
surprising. It surprises me that preteens to teens can often times do
more work than college students or full adults. Everyone always tells
you that it's good to help your community or help change the world by
working hard. It's hard on your own to do that very thing. CAM was
there to push me along into serving others and giving up my time just
to help people.
I give up my time for CAM because no matter what we're doing, it's
fun. The attitudes and colorful people make it enjoyable, even if
we're cleaning a room full of clothes, or smelly monkey cages. That's
not the only reason why I love CAM. It's not just volenteer work, it's
something much bigger than that. It's acting on love. It's coming
together as the body of Christ to love one another and comfort broken
people in need. When you see that you made a difference in someone's
heart, possibly forever, you forget the hard work and just feel good.
Megan Johnson
I give up my weekend for CAM because it is fun to do the work, and I love to see others' smiling faces when they see all the work
that we have done. CAM has impacted me by making me more willing to help people that are in need, and I have gotten much
closer to God with the devotions and the fact that everything we do in CAM is to serve God. As one of the younger people in the
group, it is great to have older people who share their knowledge of the Bible. If I were to try to get someone to join CAM I would
tell them that they'll be surprised to find that the work is really fun because everyone is super friendly and welcoming. I experienced
this first hand when I came into CAM knowing only one person, but immediately made new friends.
Megan Johnson 11/07
Katie Hill
This is my second year to be involved in CAM and I love it. Before I became
associated with CAM, I didn't understand much about community service, but now
I know how easy it is. CAM has completely changed my perspective on helping people.
It doesn't have to be big things; little things can mean just as much. It is also very
rewarding to know that you have made an impact in someone's life by helping them
with whatever they need. Also at CAM, I've made new friends. The worship and
teaching times have been great, and I've learned a lot through my involvement with this
group of godly people. I enjoy being a part of CAM and I always look forward to the
next time together.
-Katie Hill
Alysa Hooper
Hi my name is Alysa Hooper. I'm 14 years old and I am finishing out my freshman
year at Norman High School. At school I am involved with vocal music and
leadership. I am now attending Great Life Church and have been for about 5
years. I have been apart of CAM since it started. (I'm Jerry and Donna Hooper's
daughter!) CAM is an amazing program that helps out our community and at the
same time brings kids of all ages and denominations together. One of the most
meaningful and fun thing in CAM is going out and doing the volunteer work and
then seeing the faces of the people we helped. This is my second year to be
a part of the YAC team (Youth Advisor Counsel) and I'm excited about being able
to help make decisions for the CAM events. I can't wait to see what God does
with another year of CAM!!!
Tim & Stephanie Young
Serving our Father as a family is a part of our family identity. We enjoy
serving together! As Christian parents, we know it is our responsibility to
teach our children many things - to give back to our community, to be sensitive
to and help those in need but above all to be in constant and consistent service
to our Lord Jesus Christ. CAM has allowed us to do that and more. Through CAM
we have developed deeper relationships with other believers and increased our
faith exponentially through times of devotion and reflection, and the
experiences we have encountered over the years with CAM. We have had priceless
opportunities to witness various situations which have become invaluable
teaching and learning moments.
Through CAM we know that God uses us to His glory and as a blessing to others
as we use the special gifts He bestows on each of us. We can see that Eli and
Zoë are discovering and developing their gifts at an early age and are given
ample opportunities through CAM to employ and refine those skills that He will
surely use as they continue to serve Him and as they select careers and pathways
as young adults.
Our son is on the Youth Advisory Committee and our daughter, who has
participated in CAM along side us since she was in the third grade, is looking
forward to possibly becoming a member of the YAC next year. My husband and I
are adult leaders and working members of the Board of Trustees of CAM.
As we share memories from past CAM events and look forward to the next summer
CAMps, I can hear the excitement in Zoë and Eli’s voices, and see it in their
faces! This morning, a CAM workday – a Saturday, my children are up at the
crack of dawn anticipating what we are going to do today, who they will help,
who they will see and how will all this work in the rain - not laying in bed
or on the couch watching TV. What more could any parent ask for? Thank you CAM!
Eli Young
Sept. 2008
C.A.M. is important to me because it reminds me that God loves me and He
loves others no matter what our situation may be ... I know that God has
used and will use me to bless other people through what we do at C.A.M. My
dad says that, "Sometimes we are the only Bible people ever read." That puts
a little bit of pressure on me when I hear that, because I know the way I
act and behave could possibly affect someone's choice of salvation. I know
that being a part of the Youth Advisory Council of CAM is helping me to grow
not only as a Christian and as a leader, but also allows me to develop life
skills such as time management, planning and revising, and public speaking.
Reynolds Whalen
I have been involved with Community Action Missions (CAM) for four years now.
From the moment I began participating, I knew I had entered something special.
CAM provides a wonderful atmosphere for young people to interact and learn more
about themselves and each other through God.
At my first CAM summer camp, I discovered a whole new way to worship God.
Coming from a traditional Episcopalian background, I had never been exposed to
praise and worship or evangelism. Needless to say, this style of worship
surprised and excited me. This part of CAM has always inspired me and remains
one of my favorite aspects of the organization. CAM provides a place for people
of all denominations to join and work together for one common goal: to glorify
God through service in our community. Service is a fundamental part of all
Christian churches.
Since my involvement with CAM, I have obtained over one hundred hours of
community service, working for over twenty agencies across our region. I have
also grown as a leader. The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has challenged me with
numerous obligations, such as preparing four-day service camps, leading music
for worship, and presenting organized devotions that inspire thoughtful
discussion. CAM and YAC have enhanced my talents and organizational strategies,
giving me an ideal opportunity to channel these into my community.
The lessons I have learned from CAM will stay with me for the rest of my life.
The worth of my appreciation for human suffering and basic aspects of the human
condition cannot be described in words. Only God truly understands. The only
word we have is “love.”
Danielle Tipton
Community Action Missions is a great organization that God is using to help
people in this area. I first learned of CAM when Donna came to an on-campus
Bible study my sophomore year in High School. I attended my first CAMp the next
August, and it was an awesome experience. It was great getting out of the four
walls of a church and actually ministering to and helping others.
This past August 2003 I wanted to be even more involved in what God is doing
through CAM, so I joined the Youth Advisory Council. We help to plan the CAMps
as well as the year-round services, lead the monthly meetings, and give input to
the board about where CAM is heading.
CAM has helped me grow greatly. The CAM slogan, “Putting skin on the gospel,”
has made me see the impact that service has on people. Before my involvement in
YAC, I had a tendency to be the responsible person thrown into leadership roles
with no real power to make decisions. My involvement in YAC has helped me
become someone who likes to help with making decisions that actually affect
people.
The organization has also made me much more aware of how many people are under
hardships in my hometown. If I had never had the chance to help serve them,
I wouldn’t even know that there were people who needed help. I would have
never been exposed to them at all. I always envisioned the only people in need
as living overseas and dying physically. Although those people need help as
well, we cannot ignore the people who are spiritually and emotionally dying
around us because of their hardships concerning food, pregnancy, homes, health,
and many others every day issues most of us take for granted. Helping revive
these people is the mission of Community Action Missions, and I now see it
as one of the most needed missions today.
Lauren
CAM is such an awesome community service ministry! Being involved in CAM has
encouraged me to want more then just the normal teenage life; I desire to really
stand out and make an impact on the people around me through my words and
actions.
I love the environment of CAM. All the kids are there to serve God and help
everyone they can. Donna and Jerry are wonderful people; I am so blessed to have
met them and everyone else involved in CAM. I truly can’t explain how much it
has done for me! Thank you!
Sarah Torneten
Almost three years ago, my mother told me about an upcoming CAM summer camp
she’d read about in the Norman Transcript. She thought it sounded perfect for
me- Christian environment, community service, here in Norman, and free! Even though I did not know anybody involved with CAM, I decided to go to a three-day camp in June 2001. It was a blast!
Since then, I have gotten much more from CAM than I ever expected. My faith has definitely been strengthened; I have grown spiritually and mentally. Most of the people involved come from different churches and denominations than mine, and I learn a lot from them. CAM’s monthly meetings and devotions are great because the atmosphere is very relaxed and we are comfortable getting into deeper discussions. These help me ask questions and understand the Bible much more easily. For example, a friend of mine once posed a rather perplexing question to me regarding God’s anger and discipline, which I presented to the CAM group. After our discussion, I was able to give my friend a thorough reply.
Through my involvement the past three years, CAM has given me a desire to serve others. I’m amazed at the incredible drive CAM has to help people out of love. Unlike other organizations I’ve volunteered with, CAM has no ulterior motive. The desire to show God’s love is the whole idea behind every act of service. Now I am more able to see the needs of others, and I genuinely love meeting those needs.
This year I became the president of my school’s community service club, KEY Club. I never would have been led to that position without CAM. My participation in CAM and especially in the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has helped me grow as a leader. Singing in the CAM band has taught me how to stand up and lead worship. Leading devotions has helped me take an idea, expand on it, research it, and be able to share it with others. I have gained a great deal of confidence from my experiences on YAC. Because of the range of ages involved in the group, I have learned to be a leader and an example to younger kids.
I am so grateful to Jerry and Donna for their commitment to the group. I never expected to learn and grow so much; who would have thought all this started with a random newspaper article?
Micah Metheny
I learned about CAM when Jerry and Donna Hooper were interim youth pastors at my
church. Since then, I have participated in CAM for about two years and have
been a part of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) team for almost a year and a
half.
Being able to interact with youth from all different backgrounds has given me such an appreciation for diversity among Christians. Before getting involved with CAM, I had mostly only dealt with people from the Free Will Baptist denomination. Through my CAM experiences, a whole new world of cooperation between separate churches has become available to me.
All my leadership positions have been affected by my involvement in CAM and YAC. I have learned so much about leading other people and working together smoothly with fellow leaders. By serving with the other CAM participants, I have learned to work with all kinds of people without sacrificing the speed or efficiency necessary to complete a project in such a way that God will be glorified.
The closeness of all the youth involved in CAM is such an encouragement. Knowing that I have the support of my fellow YAC- and CAM-members helps me handle the daily stresses of my life.
The things that I have learned in CAM have done much more for me than I could have ever imagined. I am sure that I would not be the same person that I am today without the work I have done in this great organization. My only wish for CAM is that it will be able to keep bringing up great young leaders in our area.
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