Posted by: Bronwyn
In July, we went to Kenya for a visit so that we could see just what it was that God has called us to and to get a feel for things. We went with the plan to just observe and take notes on what’s going well and what needs improvement or enhancing. Those that know us, know that stepping back and just observing is totally not us at all! They likely don’t even believe that we were able to do so but we did…for the most part anyway. During our observing, we would also talk with campers and staff asking them questions like “what makes camp camp?”, “what is your favorite thing about camp?”, “what is your least favorite thing?”, “If you could add anything to camp, what would it be?”, etc… The answers were varied and very positive but no, we will not be adding video games to camp. In the process of this, we had the opportunity to talk with a girl that was there for her 9th summer. It wasn’t her answers to the above questions that were insightful but what she shared with me later about how and why she became a Christian. One evening as all the campers are laying outside in the field looking up at the stars and their counselor is going around praying for each one, I got to hear this girl’s amazing testimony. She comes from a Muslim faith background but her parents sent her to a Christian camp anyway because honestly there isn’t anything else like it that exists right now. A couple years into camp, she accepted Christ. Her reasoning is what really touched me and made me think. She didn’t decide to become a Christian because she was learning about the Bible and Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was what she observed in the counselors during worship time. Every evening during worship, the counselors and campers sing praise and worship songs. The same ones many of you probably know. She said she could see the genuine love for Christ the counselors had and the love that they received back and she wanted to experience that in her life. It made sense why these college students would raise money to spend their entire summer with Camp BlueSky, to share God’s love. What she experienced from counselors wasn’t pushy or judgmental, it was the true love of Christ. A love that can only come from knowing Him. Her becoming a christian had a huge effect on her relationship with her family for awhile. However, her parents continued to let her come to camp each year where she would grow in her faith and experience God’s love from staff and new counselors each year. She will likely be a counselor herself in a couple years and her parents are more open to Christianity all because she observed the love for Christ through the staff at Camp BlueSky. So, what do others observe in us? Not just in church, that’s easy but at work, at school, on social media, or with our family? Would knowing that you had to opportunity to lead someone to Christ just by your actions change the way you act or talk or do things?
Brett and Bronwyn 