Camp Fun

July 23 through August 5 were two very busy weeks for me and Wonder City. The first week was our annual youth camp and the second was our annual Kids Camp. Both weeks went very well.

During the week at youth camp, out teens spent time in Bible classes and worship learning about God’s Young Heroes. The last night of camp we offered an invitation allowing the teens an opportunity to respond to anyway that God has touched them through-out the week. Several teens took advantage and went and spoke to a counselor. Immediately after worship was over, one of our teens Kisha R. came to me and told me that she wanted to be baptized. Kisha has been coming to Wonder City longer than I have. I had no doubt that she knew the importance of the decision that she was making. We pushed back the rest of the evening’s schedule and I had the privilege of baptizing Kisha in the pool at camp. She called her mom and her mom was shouting “Hallelujah.” Kisha’s older brother was also at camp and as I took Kisha under the water he shouted out “Goodbye Kisha.” Both Kisha and her brother knew that Kisha was dying to herself and was asking God to live through her in that moment. Kisha in that moment became one of God’s young heroes. (Sadly, Kisha and Jonathon experienced a low in their life the very next day when their grandfather, who lived with them, passed away.)

Kids Camp also inspired many great stories. One kid always answered the question, “What do you have to do to go to heaven,” by responding, “Get bubbatized.” There were many kids at camp who used to attend Wonder City regularly with their parents but now for whatever reason their parents don’t come—so they don’t come. One of those is a 6 year old young girl that I have known since she was about 3. Every time I see her she would run to me and give me a hug, even though her family hasn’t been to church in over a year. On the last day of camp, all she wanted was a Bible. We give the kids several things to take home from camp, but all she wanted was a Bible. When she received her bag of stuff, she immediately tore into it looking for her Bible. (I now have a Bible to take to her.) She and her 2 older siblings who also attended Kids Camp were going to go home and ask their parents if they could start coming to church again.

Love for God and the desire to live for him—that is what both of these weeks of camp are about. Even if these two were the only ones who benefited from these camp (and believe me they were not) then they were worth it. These two weeks were stressful and tiring. But, I would do them all over again—in a heartbeat.