The Answer That Caught Me Off Guard
Dear Family and Friends,
It’s that time of the year — everyone is talking about the end of school and their plans for summer break, which often includes summer camp.
It’s no different with the boys we work with on a weekly basis. Over the last few weeks at our Friday morning Breakfast Club, the talk has been all about summer camp. The kids who have never gone before — which is most of them — are asking all the kids who have all about camp and what it’s like.
A couple of weeks ago, I jumped right into the conversation and asked two questions of the boys who have gone in the past: what did they like most about camp and what did they like the least? They all agreed on what they liked least: it was too short and it was too dark at night. Well…those are two things I can’t change. It’s going to be dark in the woods, and we can only get the camp for a week right now. One young man asked if we could make camp all summer long because it is so much better than home.
Then they talked about what they like the most, and these answers were all over the place. One young man liked swimming in the lake. Another liked the day we spent at the beach, and another boy liked the fishing. One boy preferred the game room. Not surprisingly—because they’re boys and also because Joe Musick is a great cook—several of the boys liked the food the most. One kid sarcastically said that he liked all of my announcements, which I know nobody likes or listeners to—including our staff. I’m pretty sure he was just trying to win some brownie points with me.
But among all of these answers that I expected to hear, one young man’s answer caught me completely off guard. He said that his favorite part of camp was when the two of us walked back to the cabin late one night after chapel, just talking. Honestly, I didn’t remember that at all. So after the boys had dispersed, I followed up with him to ask more questions and figure out why that had been his favorite part of the week.
He went on to remind me about how he had stayed after to help close up the chapel. By the time we were done, it had started to rain a little bit. We walked back to the cabin and just talked about God and His creation. He told me about all his struggles—about how both his parents had passed away and how he moved with his brothers from Haiti to Florida. The young man just needed an opportunity to talk and have someone listen to him.
It reminds me of Deuteronomy 6:7: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
I am thankful that this young man will be able to go camping again this year, and I am looking forward to many more long, late-night walks in the woods where I will have the opportunity to share Jesus with as many hurting kids as I can.
Will you pray for Leverage Ministries as we prepare for our summer camps? Our first camp—the week-long trip to the Ocala National Forest—is coming up on June 10. We will have additional sports camps later in the summer. Pray that we will be good stewards of our time and take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ with these kids.
In Him,
Scott Hirdes
Executive Director
Leverage Ministries
P.S. Without the generosity of people like you who support Leverage Ministries, these kids wouldn't be able to attend summer camp or hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Would you consider sponsoring a camper for $275? Visit www.leverageministries.org/sponsor-a-camper