Over the Easter holidays we took our 9-11 year old boys on a camping trip to Hilton College game reserve. This trip is part of LIV’s Raising Sons ministry. I started “Raising Sons” for every boy at LIV to know that when they turn 10 years old they will go for a boys camp and the men around them in their lives will help them understand how to grow up as boys, teens and young men.
Jesus said, “When you have seen me, you have seen the Father”… The heart of raising sons is to play an earthly role in demonstrating the love of the Heavenly Father. Whilst doing this we look to raise the boys up, teaching them, equipping them and encouraging them to grow to be men that will one day be able to lead themselves, their families and whatever God would give them a place to grow in.
The heart of this particular trip was to gather around the boys, love them, play, talk and build relationship. This was a warm-up for years to come! They had to earn it though with good behaviour and giving their best in all areas of their lives. The heart of the lead-up to and the trip itself was to give the boys a sense of purpose. They also grew in understanding accountability and responsibility.
During the trip we made fires, looked for animals, played in the river, ate good food together, had devotions, went trail running, played games and talked. What a wonderful time we had! The boys were fantastic, we got to see zebras, giraffes, warthogs, antelopes etc and really connected beautifully. The boys opened up to us around the campfire expressing what each of them wants to be known for in their lives.
