When you take a group of people, bound together by faith, put them in situations where they must trust one another and work together to achieve the same goal, lasting friendship is the outcome.

From December 25th to January 1st I was given the opportunity to be a camp counselor in South Africa. The journey to South Africa was long and tiresome, while the journey in South Africa was rewarding, uplifting, and fostered growth within many. God knows what we need even before we do. If we just trust in Him and allow Him to lead, He will guide us to all that we need and even want. In order to properly trust God we must learn how to trust in general.

This United Youth Camp in South Africa created an environment to teach us how to trust in one another. Gathered together based on our common faith, knowing nothing else of one another, we were placed in situations where we must use each other’s strengths and weaknesses to overcome obstacles.

The first day of camp we started with an obstacle course. This was un-like any I had seen before. The individual who was to walk through the course was BLIND FOLDED! They were to be led by the words and advice of another individual. “We must walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The blindfolded camper had to trust what their partner was telling them to do because they had no other option, just as we must trust what God is instructing and guiding us to do because the only other option is eternal death. From there we moved into activities like climbing a rock wall, low ropes course, a giant swing and many more exhilarating and terrifying activities. These required us to have faith in the people surrounding us and gave us the opportunity to support, encourage, and uplift one another, to help each other overcome our fears.

One of the last activities we did together was called “Jacob’s Ladder.” This was a rope ladder made for a giant. To climb this ladder, you and a partner had to work together hoisting each other from rung to rung. When you overcome something like that with another person, a bond is formed. In a similar way when we use God’s strengths and comfort to overcome obstacles in life, our bond with Him is being reinforced and growing in strength. This bond that we formed is FRIENDSHIP! "Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which ties everything together in unity" (Colossians 3:12-14, ISV).

Strangers from all over South Africa, Australia, and America were gathered together and placed in situations where we must trust one another. This inspired growth in our compassion and kindness towards one another. We were shown that we are not able to accomplish every task on our own and that we must work together and have patience with one another. A love between us, no longer strangers, has knit us all together in a unity of friendship and at the center of that friendship is the true, almighty, and wonderful God!