Mission Messenger #3

 Having been a cabin leader all summer for several years at RHBC, I have learned that in many ways, teen camp is the easiest camp that we run.  Most of the campers have been coming for years, and know the drill.  When you send a camper to chapel, you don’t have to remind him where it is, or that he needs to take his bible along.  When you ask for quiet, they usually have enough self-control to give it, at least for a minute or two.  They’ll usually even stay awake through devotions, and pay attention, too.  Obviously, there are unique challenges, however.  Many of them have typical teenager attitude problems, and can be harder to convince to cooperate than younger campers.  Their spiritual and emotional needs and concerns tend to be deeper, too, and sometimes harder to minister to.  Some of these campers have heard the gospel here already, year after year, yet have consistently rejected it.  This year, it quickly became apparent that most of the boys in my cabin had been Christians for years, with the exception of one, who I’ll call Rylee.  By the end of devotions, on the first night, it was apparent that he had virtually no Bible knowledge, but a great desire to learn.  On the second night, he announced that he had always been an atheist, but now he was starting to reconsider.  That comment spurred us all on to make sure that he was presented with the gospel as clearly and as often as we could manage, as well as some of the reasons that we can be sure it’s true.  By the last night he had concluded that God has indeed proved both His existence and His power, but he still wanted some time to think about it.  Although he left here before becoming a Christian, it was incredible to see how far God brought him in a week, and I continue to pray that God would neither permit Him to forget what he learned here, nor give him peace until he comes to Him.

 

Nathanael King,

Cabin Leader