The Power of Christian Camp: Life-Changing Moments for Kids
In 1981, I went to camp on a scholarship. At 17 years old, I could never have paid the fee myself. An angry kid with an attitude, my heart and ears were closed to most adults. While at camp, away from expectations and life's pressures, I grasped God's great love for me and gave my life to Him. Now, more than 30 years later, as president of Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA), I am working to help provide the same opportunity for thousands of kids this summer – regardless of their ability to pay. Kids like Foday Cole.
Back in Africa, Foday had been able to elude rebel soldiers by fleeing through forests and living off the land with an older brother and younger sister. Rebel warriors invaded his village during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war and his father and a sister were killed while his mother was captured. After eventually being reunited with his mother in a refugee camp, Foday and his family were allowed to move to the United States. They settled in Grand Rapids, where Foday and his sister got involved with Urban Family Ministries. Eventually he was given the opportunity to attend camp at Grace Adventures thanks to a scholarship.
Being away from the normal pressures of life gave the young teen the freedom to relax and explore what he believed. "I had been into Muslim religion," Foday says. "So I was asking about Christianity. I was asking like in the Bible, the Trinity – how could three people be one person?"
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He wanted to know more, and he was determined to get answers. "He literally would raise his hand during teaching time and ask clarifying questions," says Ben VanderKodde, Grace Adventure's speaker trainer. "It was like this unquenchable thirst."
Foday decided to become a Christian after camp, and he continued to receive help and support from friends and mentors at Grace and Urban Family Ministries. "It was like this mask of uncertainty and distrust was removed, and there was a freedom about him, a light in his eyes," VanderKodde says.
Camp is only a dream for many – like many from single-parent homes, where their moms or dads are struggling to make ends meet or families that have been hit with financial hardships. CCCA created the Corners of the Field campaign to help raise funds for deserving kids to attend camp, no matter what their financial situation. I'm hoping thousands of kids will receive Corners of the Field scholarships and be able to go to camp this year. They will experience new adventures and challenges, gather around campfires, learn outdoor skills, laugh with new friends – and explore the truth about Jesus Christ.
When I was 17, the camp environment had a lot to do with my life-changing experience. In camp's temporary community, I started with a clean slate. I had the time and space to contemplate my life and to consider my future as a long-term proposition, not just who I was expected to be at home. Camp provided a space where God could break through my hard outer shell and demonstrate that I was loved by him, just as I was. It was a fresh start. My youth leader then helped me build upon the experience and my new found faith when we returned home.
Foday dreams of returning to Sierra Leone as a pastor who brings God's love and hope to his homeland. "Maybe there's a purpose for me. My purpose will be to go back home to tell others what I learned."
Camp continues to deliver life-changing moments for kids, teenagers and adults, allowing them the environment to make the most important of decisions. God rescued me from my small, me-centered life at camp and exchanged it for a grand adventure. That's the power of camp.
