Christ’s Love in a Broken World
Camping ministry is unique because it provides an extended period of time to have conversations with young people. At first these conversations can be superficial; about the food they like or what they’ve enjoyed on camp. But over the camp they turn into much deeper conversations about life, and that’s where we can bring the gospel in and share the love of Jesus with them.
I still remember a girl called Tamara* from a year eight camp in my first year. Tamara came from a non-Christian family, and she and her friends really didn’t want to be attending school camp. They didn’t care about the activities and certainly weren’t interested in talking about God in discussion groups, having ‘heard it all before at school’. I wasn’t sure how to engage them in discussion group, but I felt a push to share my testimony with them. And so, I shared how Jesus had brought me peace and comfort in my anxiety and insecurity, and how he was someone I could turn to when things were difficult.
After discussion group finished, Tamara pulled me aside and said ‘your story is my story’. She shared how she was going through a similar situation and was finding it really hard. And she asked how she could have this comfort that Jesus offers. She ended up choosing to put her trust in Jesus and received a Bible for the first time. She spent the rest of camp telling all the other leaders how she’d chosen to follow Jesus and how excited she was!
It is so important that school camps continue because kids like Tamara need Jesus. It is becoming more difficult and less mainstream for people to hear the good news, particularly at a young age – when so many make this critical decision for Christ. In this formative time of life, particularly in our broken world, having young leaders who model Christ’s love and show genuine care and interest in a young person’s life, over a number of days, can make an eternal difference. That’s pretty unique.”
Stef Nicolae, Summit Trainee
*Name changed for privacy
