Life’s Flavors ~In the Community with Work Camp by The Oaks Bed and Breakfast
Sulphur Springs work camp brings together youth from all over the county to help those in need to beautify their homes. Each year the Work Camp board knocks on the doors of home owners in need of a fresh coat of paint and a little TLC on the exterior of a home. Through hard work, prayer and a little fun the youth groups in our area make those dreams a reality.
This year’s work camp is focusing on eight house in the community, in need of a paint upgrade. Two of the houses are located in Heritage Park, where people from all over the community and beyond, can step back in time and see what life was like around the time of the city and county’s founding.
Not all projects are the same size, but no matter the size the children and leaders pour in to each homeowner. No matter what, each home is painted by youth from the community who want to give back to those in need right where they live. Past participants have returned to lead crews of their own, while new batches of students join each year to volunteer their time to paint and praise all within the county.
Community service starts at home. If our students learn to serve at an early age they will carry that with them into their lives as they grow and experience their own lives. Instead of sending students to far off places for mission trips, youth leaders made the choice to serve at home, where students can see their impact right in their own community. Both missions are a great experience, but it’s nice to drive by a house that was a service project and state,“I worked on that house.” To be able to see your impact on a daily basis, affects the community to build stronger ties.
The church youth leaders rally their students and lead them to join together across denominations to serve their community. Work camp bridges the gap between churches and pulls kids from all walks of life into one space to work and worship in a short amount of time. Students are able to ask questions of other church groups and grow their understanding of Church from a different perspective. All valuable lessons learned by experiencing and volunteering at Work Camp.
The success of the program has proven itself over the years, by the continuation of Work Camp each year. While the size of the program may have changed, the impact and lessons taught are still going strong. Send up a pray and a thanks to those individuals and groups who volunteered to serve our community this week to make their impact felt for years to come.
By Allison Libby-Thesing
