Soul Survivor Scotland (20-25 July 2019)
Five days spent camping with over a thousand teenagers, far fewer showers, and a good spot of rain sounds like most people’s worst nightmare, and yet Soul Survivor has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, not just because of the crêpes and the hot chocolate mountains, but because of the amazing way that God came to meet us and strengthen our faith in Him.
Every day, morning and evening, we all gathered together to worship God, and it was amazing to see how He moved among us as we all sang, danced, and jumped as one in praise; those moments brought us so much closer to God, and to each other. We left that tent after every meeting knowing more deeply the love of God and feeling blessed by His Spirit. And in that time, we also had the chance to hear amazing talks on friendship, love, devotion, and so much more, that managed to be both hilarious and insightful.
Beyond the main meetings, we were spoilt for choice of activities and venues; for the week, Lendrick Muir house – a familiar place to many members of St Mungo’s youth – was transformed to contain three cafes, a shop, and many areas to play sports of all kinds, not to mention the famous crêpe van out front. Throughout the day we attended seminars exploring God’s word, and had time to play cards, chase a frisbee around the field, or just sit in the beautiful sunshine. The evenings were jam-packed with events like a silent disco, live music, and of course a huge ceilidh, as well as an opportunity each night to worship God together around a bonfire under the stars.
And these five days spent living closely with our youth group gave us an amazing chance to bond and grow together – all the grumpy morning faces and messy tents were more than worth it to share the fun and joy and love throughout the week. Whether it was praying and soaking in God’s presence or waiting in the queue for the showers, we did it together, and we built stronger relationships with our church family.
Over these five days we made unforgettable memories, strengthened valuable friendships and – most importantly – grew in faith and, crammed into a circus tent with a thousand other teenagers, met with God.
Joanna McArthur (S7!), on behalf of the youth