F.B.I. Camp concluded yesterday afternoon with a fun and very successful closing program. During the run-through a few hours earlier, I showed the kids and staff the slideshow. and several kids were teary-eyed from remembering all that has happened. One precious child was sobbing by the end and said, "I don't want camp to be over and have to go back to school. I don't have any friends at school, and no one plays with me." Another child told me after the program had concluded that she wanted to come back every day. I am so incredibly thankful that God has used this camp to be a place of safety and warmth for each child, and especially the ones to whom that is a foreign feeling.
As I look back over the past four weeks, here are a few of the favorite memories that jump out at me:
- Week 1, Thursday: On my way to church, God placed the theme of "weakness" on my mind. When the staff arrived and we met to pray for the day, I asked them how they were feeling and how we could pray for them. All but one person expressed significant weariness, physically-disheartening exhaustion, or emotional weakness. After praying for each other, we dispersed as the kids arrived. At 3:30, once all the children were gone, I followed up with what each of the staff's requests that morning. Without fail, God had removed what was discouraging each person that morning and it had been a truly joy-filled day.
- Week 1, Monday/Friday: Children arriving on Monday, as shy as could be. Children leaving Friday, excitedly chattering away, laughing and joking with us.
- Week 2, Tuesday: Gaining five new faces during camp and getting to know them. When teaching the kids part of the rap song in the morning, in response to the line, "We're filled with thankfulness 'cause of your faithfulness," I asked how God had been faithful to them. One of the girls who does not attend church shot her hand up and then shared, "When we moved to our house, we didn't have any furniture or food or clothes. God gave us clothes and food and stuff so that we could have them." It blew me away that this 8-year old already understood that it had been GOD to provide for her family when they had absolutely nothing.
- Week 3, Wednesday: During the field trip to the International Spy Museum, hearing one child enter the museum exclaiming, "I would LOVE to be a spy. They have the coolest job of dress up ever!" and leaving in the afternoon, exclaiming, "I would HATE to be a spy. They have to eat poison and I don't want to eat poison!"
- Week 3, Friday: Hearing that one child, during the Bible lesson literally plugged her ears and refused to listen whenever they talked about Jesus' death on the cross... or anything to do with death, for the matter.
- Week 4, Monday: Walking past the front door and noticing a school bus out front. I found out that the company sent the bus on the wrong day and had to run around like a mad woman trying to make sure we would have transportation on Wednesday, when we actually needed it.
- Week 4, Monday: Learning that the child (from Friday) who persistently plugged her ears while hearing about Jesus was so scarred by her grandmother's death that anything dealing with the subject (even if it had a "happy ending to the story") completely made her tune out.
- Week 4, Tuesday: When I met with the staff that morning, we prayed specifically for the girl and that she would be hearing what was said, even if her ears were plugged. I encouraged the staff to consider the same picture-- that we often, as adults, "plug our ears" and shout, "La la la la" to God-- but that we do it in a more... refined way. Later that morning, I sat in their class and watched as she slowly started putting her hands to her ears when the teacher mentioned the name "Jesus." Every few minutes, her hands would slowly creep away from her ears, only to resume their position shortly after. Several times, she said, "I'm scared" or "This is scary," but she intently watched the teachers present the gospel message even if her ears were closed.
- Week 4, Tuesday, 15 minutes later: During the kids' quiet time with God, one of the teachers related to me that she had put the words, "God is ______" on the whiteboard and had the child fill it in with whatever came to her mind. She wrote, "God is in Mr Jon... God is in Miss Nikki... God is in Diana." (name changed) God had answered our prayers to captivate her heart.
- Week 4, Wednesday: Listening to one 6-year old (during our trip to the zoo) tell another child (not from our camp) who was scared of a snake in one of the cages, "Well, you don't have to be scared because that's how God made it!"
- Week 4, Thursday: Each day, I dropped one of the children off at home since her family didn't have transportation to pick her up in the evenings. This child was particularly immature for her age (6) and doesn't attend church regularly, and we weren't ever quite sure if she was picking up the things we tried to teach. When I dropped her off her mother said, "She just loves camp so much. Yesterday, I overheard her in her room by herself talking to God." What a precious thing it must be for God to hear these kids' tiny voices talking to him, unprompted.
I could go on, but these were a few of the things that I wanted to share. God has been so faithful to use each experience and conversation to His glory. I am still in awe of how He answered prayer and moved in the kids' hearts beyond what we could every see.
No comments:
Post a Comment