The
first thing campers do as a group at the beginning of their week at camp Ewalu is
construct a covenant. This exercise is led by the coordinator and counselors. Each
camper contributes to the brainstorm session. They add different rules and
agreements the kids have for each other and to protect the camp and themselves.
When the campers struggle for ideas the counselors will guide them in the right
direction. Such rules are, God always is number one, no running on trails, and
no fighting each other. Some kids come up with the cutest little rules like no
chewing with your mouth open or they will spell words wrong and it’s
interesting what the word will turn into. One time when a kid was trying to
write, “don’t use the Lord’s name in vain” they spelled vain; vein, which made
many of my friends laugh when we read it later on. After the exercise is
complete every one signs the covenant indicating that they understand and will
follow the rules as best as they can. If any rule needs to be talked about
later in the week the paper is a written reminder of the covenant that they all
made with themselves and with each other.
A
covenant is an agreement, usually formal, between one or more persons to do or
not to do something specific. God makes many covenants to His people. The most
important covenant God has every made is the one to Noah. It reads that He will
never destroy the world again with a universal flood. With this one covenant
God created a reminder for Him and for all the people on Earth. He made the
rainbow, just like the paper at camp, it can remind everyone of what we can and
cannot do. The rainbow represents a light at the end of a long tunnel. After
everything was killed on Earth besides Noah and the ark full of animals, there
was a rainbow waiting for them. The rainbow is visible in every child’s
depiction of Noah and the ark and in almost all pictures of the ark in general.
When
I see a rainbow I remember Gods promise to His people and how He will never
break that promise. I also remember my promises to others and how just as God’s
promises are important to keep mine are just as important to keep. It doesn’t matter
how small or big a promise is; it is always something that should be kept.
