2022_MS_Camp_suds

Camp Connections

August 11, 2022

story

 A special time to connect to each other and the Gospel.  -Gwen Sprague, Bluffton/Pandora-Gilboa MS

We’ve had many pool parties and hang outs this summer, and our main focus has been  noticing students – letting them know that they are seen and can come as they are. At the pool parties it can be challenging to connect with each of the students, so in Campus Life fashion, we created a game out of it!
It was refreshing to be back at YFC Camp where our primary job is to be present with the students, not setting up the next event or worrying about the logistics of what is happening, but rather just experiencing the fun with them and giving them space to hear and process the gospel. Something really special this year was the bond between the students. Our cabins had representation from multiple schools, and the support and loving compassion that was  shown among new friends, very quickly in the week, allowed each student to feel safe to open up and trust what was being shared with them. Students who were dealing with self-worth issues, depression and messy situations at home were willing to open up and hear how God has a plan for their life.
One student opened up about how she wasn’t sure she wanted to come to camp, and through the simple invitation of a friend, she decided to give it a shot. Her intentions for attending camp were just to have fun and reconnect with this friend. By the end of the week, she shared that the part of her life that was really lacking connection was her faith, and she was finally ready to listen and consider what was being shared. She decided it was time to jump in with both feet and say “yes” to Jesus for the first time!