Dear Friend,
For the last four years, I have looked forward to the
opportunity to work as a camp counselor at a camp for kids in foster care. I
have witnessed countless moments of God at work in the hearts of these young
kiddos. I have witnessed the change that happens from Day 1 to Day 5, changes
that are hard to explain unless you have witnessed them firsthand.
Anyone who has been to camp knows that the kids are full of
all sorts of emotions as they step off the bus. I’ve had the privilege to see the
shy and timid kids blossom and light up as they step up and take a risk, like flying
down the zip-line, and the sense of accomplishment that brings! I’ve watched
while kids—who may have been told all their lives that they can’t succeed—cling
to the top of a rock wall while other kids cheer for them by name. I’ve heard
the excitement as the kids realize that we are throwing a birthday party for
THEM, because sadly some may never have had their birthday remembered or
celebrated!
The truth is I could go on and on about the things I have
seen and witnessed at this camp, but I want to tell you a very REAL tangible
story about what God does at camp.
Last year, another counselor and I decided to give up some
of our break time to go to the pool with our campers. While there, one of my
campers came to me very upset. She had been wearing a necklace, one that she
never takes off, and it was gone. To me, the necklace I had seen her wearing
didn’t seem very significant, but I had learned that it was given to her by her
biological mother and was the only thing she had from her. When we realized,
the necklace was missing, we began searching the pool, her bags, the bus, everywhere we could think to look. It
was GONE.
“We’ll keep looking,” I told her. “We’ll keep looking.” What
else could I say? What else could we do? I’ll be honest, I wasn’t very hopeful.
When we got back to camp and realized the necklace was in fact gone, I saw this
sweet girl’s face and started searching through all my thoughts. What could I
tell her? What could make the loss of her necklace better? In that instant, it
hit me. PRAY. We had been talking with the girls about God and about prayer and
in that moment. Prayer was the only thing I could think of. Together, we prayed
for the necklace to be found and safely returned in the morning. We prayed and
then continued with our afternoon/ evening. I prayed some more, “Father God,
this child, this child who has been through so much, who can’t count on anyone…
please, dear God, show HER. Show her that she can count on you.” We walked into
breakfast the next morning, and someone at the pool had found her necklace and
returned it. That little girl looked at me, and said “OUR PRAYER WORKED!” This
story still gives me chills, isn’t God awesome?
Please hear me, this is just one of MANY stories I could
tell you about life changing experiences that God brings to these kids at camp. Camp is one of my favorite things to talk
about so if you have any questions or want to know more please feel free to
ask!
Please be in prayer for camp, and if God has blessed you
please consider financial sponsorship.
We must raise $43,000 for 40 children, age 7-11 to experience camp in
the great outdoors. I will be providing
5 days of service to make this camp a reality.
By sponsoring, you become a sender.
Senders go with me because they have given resources, which are
representation of your time and energy.
Not everyone can go physically, but everyone can go in spirit, when you
send. For more information, you may
contact me, or, go to http://campforchange.org/.
100% of sponsorship funds benefit camp and is tax deductible as provided
by law.
Again, thank you for your prayers for camp, and that these
kids would come to know God’s abundant love, see Him as a personal friend that
they can always turn to and know the power of His healing.
In Him,
ABBY
