So much
to blog about and so little time…
I could
blog about how I laid hands and prayed for teammate before our 10 hour bus ride
to Waikanae and five minutes after the prayer she no longer had a migraine
headache or the feeling like she would throw up like she did several times that
previous night.
Or I
could blog about how the Holy Spirit fell on me in such a powerful way, that
without any planning on my own I began speaking words over the World Race squads that many
people would tell me later was exactly what they needed to hear.
Or
perhaps I could blog about the little girl at camp who was hearing voices
telling her not to trust in Jesus even though she really wanted to. And after she did decide to give her life to
Christ all the voices stopped and she felt peace.
I told
you, I have so much I could blog about.
But
instead I am going to show you God’s awesome power and how He loves to answer
our prayers.
All of
the kids got to camp on Tuesday evening.
This was my first ever time ministering to children, but apart of me is
still 12 years old so I really wasn’t too worried about relating to the
kids! I was assigned to a team of four kids
and we were sleeping in a cabin with three others so I knew I would want to focus on these seven boys.
And sure enough, within the first day the kids and I were joking around,
having fun, they we wearing my hat…I had become someone they could trust. Now the task was not just to have fun with
them or to just let them know you loved them, but to reveal the Father’s love
through me. To tell them and show them
what it really means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Before
the kids arrived, the main speaker “Uncle Tony” told our leadership team, do
not let people tell you that children’s ministry is second rate ministry, for
if these kids become Christians they will serve the Lord for their entire lives
rather than just half. This resonated
with me as I tend to only focus on college students. Tony’s talk ignited my desire that these kids
would not just have a swell time at camp, but that this would be the beginning
of an entire life spent bringing the Kingdom
of Heaven to earth.
So I
began fervently praying for these children.
Their names were Mitchell (Top left), Oliver (top right), Billy (bottom left), Jack (bottom right) these four were on my team, Nathan,
Daniel, and Kyle (the other three in the cabin). I cried out to God for their salvation, and
that He would move in such a powerful way that no one could take the credit but
Him. Anybody can be a camp counselor and
have fun with kids, it doesn’t take the Holy Spirit to do that. So I prayed that God would move in such
incredible ways that no one could deny His working.
Wednesday
night Tony gave us a message during our leader devotional. Tony spoke about occupying the land that God
has given us. God is always willing to
expand our territory if we are faithful stewards of the land He has already
given us. Tony was callings us up to
receive what God has given us already.
To not shrink back in fear, to never retreat from the ground we have already
gained. As He spoke and as we prayed,
the Spirit fell on the chapel we were in.
Half of the people were in tears from how God was working in their
hearts. Some felt spiritually attacked
as they were hearing lies about their inadequacy and loneliness. When we finished praying we were 30 minutes
late to pick up our kids, yet we all felt there was still more praying to
do. So after we picked up our kids, one
leader stayed with them to get them ready for bed, while the others
grouped back up for more prayer. That
night we cried out God, asking for His hand to be over this camp and the
children’s lives. And once again I
desperately asked God to reveal Himself in such a way that I could not deny His
power and might. I begged Him for the
salvation of my 7 boys, that His Spirit would hover over their cabin and they
would feel the weight of His hand.
I moved
over to the window so I could see the cabin and visualize what God could do in
the hearts of these precious children.
And I saw a light on. The light
to my cabin, even though lights were supposed to be out 30 minutes
earlier. I didn’t think much at the
time, but just continued with the group in prayer for each other and all of the
kids at the camp. As the prayers wound
down and the peace of God began to move through our hearts, Ruth (the leaders
trainer), stood up and announced… “Hey guys, Reuben just led all 7 of his
campers to Christ!”
Can you
guess who was the other leader in that cabin?
Yep, the
night that I whole heartedly cried out to God that He would reveal Himself in a
way that I could not deny was Him, seven 10-12 year old boys gave their life to
Christ. The camp always has one night
where the cabin leaders are to clearly present the gospel to their campers and
give them the opportunity to respond.
That night is always Thursday…and this was Wednesday. Turns out while we were praying, Reuben had
just turned off the lights when Kyle piped up, “Hey, how do you get Jesus to
live in your heart?” Reuben jumped out
of bed, snapped the lights back on, and began explaining to these kids how much
God loves us, what Jesus did when He came to earth, and then finally how
receive the free gift of eternal life.
What a
night it was. A night when God Himself
showed up in a small Christian camp called El Rancho. So many lives were changed this past
week. I don’t even know how many kids
trusted in Christ as their Savior, but it seemed like just about every single on of them. I saw the hearts of these young boys and
girls forever changed. I saw the love,
the grace, and the power of God so powerfully displayed in the lives of these
new sons and daughters of God.
Praise
Him, oh oh praise Him. For He is
good.
