Camrose was my favorite camp last summer so I was very excited to be a part of it again this year too. However, the coordinator from last year was unable to organize it due to a family emergency, so it was actually a different church doing it this year. We still had the same group of kids mostly and used the same field and everything but we had a completely new group of volunteers. We had a few volunteers who were from edmonton and came over to volunteer.
That night when we were making small groups, my head coach told me that my boss wanted Erik and Anders in my small group. I was in complete shock because I didn't even know these 2 boys were going to be at camp. A few blog posts ago ("God is faithful") I mentioned how Anders and his brother Erik were not going to be able to attend soccer camp because they are from Sweden. They usually only come to Camrose in the summer, and they stay in Sweden for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, Phyllis' husband was in a horrific lawnmower accident a few weeks ago, the lawnmower exploded leaving 70% of his body burned. He is still currently in critical condition, and awaiting skin grafts and surgery. Because of this accident, Anders and his family came back to Camrose to visit their grandfather, which also allowed them to attend this camp.
I mean if God was ever going to speak to me, this was it wasn't it? It was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with Anders and Erik. I knew that God had planned this, and he was going to use me in a special way that week to influence these 2 kids.
The whole week went by great, I saw a lot of the same kids from last year and they remembered me as well! The kids there were also the most well-behaved usually and most skilled so the camp ran smoothly. I found that my small groups went great too. I prayed all week that the holy spirit fill me up with what to say in my small groups and God did indeed provide me with the words. At times I went on and on and the right words and ideas just came out of my mouth, and the kids listened intently. I would ask discussion questions which made them think about what they really believe in. On day 3 I asked them all to close their eyes and I asked them to raise their hand if they are on God's team. Everyone raised up their hands but Erik. Then I asked who would like to join God's team for the first time, Anders and Erik both put up their hand. Then I prayed for the whole group, I asked those who decided to be on God's team today to come find me at lunch. Hardly any kid ever comes up to find me at lunch but, I like to say that so it gives them time to think about their choice. I tell them it's the most important decision that they will ever make in their life, and if you choose to be on God's team, you have to be committed for life. But yea, no one came up to me at lunch on wednesday or thursday, so I felt like I was sort of letting the opportunity slip away. So on the last day after small groups, I sent everyone off to lunch except Anders and Erik. I asked them where they stood, because they raised their hands on wednesday but never came to find me. I said I understood it was a hard decision for them, because they weren't from a Christian home and the idea of God was not well accepted at home either. Both Anders and Erik told me they were sitting on the fence, "half in and half out" they had said. Erik told me that it was really getting at him, but he was conflicted. So I told them that I really did want to see them on God's team but ultimately it was their decision because I can't force them to believe anything. I said if you feel ready to be on God's team now, I can pray with you here right now, if not thats ok too. In the end both of them felt like they weren't quite ready yet, but I told them if they were ever ready, all they have to do is ask God, and they also have their grandmother Phyllis and auntie Bev to talk to about it.
So yea I didn't get to see these 2 boys accept Christ this week but it was still encouraging. I think both of them took a huge step in their spiritual journey. They both acknowledge that there's a God that loves them very much and that Jesus had to die for us because we were sinful. But I don't think they were ready to make a commitment yet, so that's something I'm going to continue to pray for.
Camp at Camrose this year was another blast, it was definitely great seeing all the kids from last year, it made it such a special camp for me. Although the kids I was focused on didn't end up making a decision, many other kids in camp decided to accept Jesus last week. It was also encouraging to hear that the kids that made a decision were going to be followed up on. A lot of the volunteers knew parents of the kids and so on. Perks of a small town I guess, everybody knows everybody, so that definitely helps with outreach and staying connected with the community. Great week with great kids, I sincerely hope that God has it in his plan for me to interact with some of them again.
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