A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of serving at RFKC. This camp ministers to children who have been significantly abused, usually by a family member or someone with whom they lived, emotionally, verbally, physically or sexually. Usually, the abuse they have endured is a combination of some or all of those. While it is sickening to think that there are people who prey upon the innocent in their care, that there are godly, compassionate, caring individuals every year who spend their time and money to minister to these kids is very encouraging. And I am so glad I was able to again serve at RFKC! This camp gives these children who come to us via CPS of Marion County the "royal treatment" and a Christian camping experience unlike any other. From the moment they arrive and their bags are carried for them and transported and placed in their beautiful and air-conditioned cabins in a swanky, large conference center, these kids get treated like royalty. They receive all sorts of gifts and have the week of their lives. And mostly, they are exposed to the unconditional love of Christian people who serve them tirelessly for a week, and live out the Gospel before their eyes. RFKC is not your typical Christian Camp. Christian Camps are awesome, and I send my two kids every year because they benefit greatly from it. However, there is no camp like RFKC. There are three RFKC camps in Indiana currently. Please join us in praying that more believers will catch on to the vision of reaching the victims of abuse with the gospel of Christ in the years to come!
Same Camp, New Workers
The staff this year was made up of several new faces to our camp. This was our fifth year, and from the standpoint of dealing with challenges, our toughest. But, the graciousness I witnessed and the love evidenced by every single worker throughout the week as they dealt with the children was awe-inspiring. One aspect of the work this year that I most appreciated was the team-spiritedness of one and all. Frankly, there is no way the work that I had to do could ever have been done without a whole lot of help. So, I praise the Lord for each and every one of the workers and for the directors, Diane and John, who do an incredible amount of work each year to make this camp happen.
The Cattle on a Thousand Hills . . .
The Lord provided the resources again this year for camp. When I think back on where we were financially just a few months ago, I am humbled by my lack of trust in God to provide. Clearly, He wanted this camp to happen and was more than able to "make it so" through His people and His Church. Lesson learned, my Lord!
A Word of Thanks
Speaking of churches, I am especially thankful to the churches in the area that supported the camp. Brookville Road Community, First Baptist Church of Beech Grove, and Gray Road Baptist are all to be commended for their support. How encouraging it is to me to see the Body of Christ work as one body to reach children with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Very cool!
My Part
As for the gospel, the Lord enabled me and all the others numerous opportunities to present the Truth of His Word, including the good news of Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful to the Lord for the opportunities He enabled and tailor-made. It is never tiresome seeing our Great God in action! As for my part of it, teaching the Bible stories to children who have, in some cases, never even held a Bible in their hands was a new challenge. I think I have somewhat taken for granted teaching my little Sunday school class full of students whose parents know the Lord and who have been, from infancy, taught the Scriptures. Wow! I am so blessed to get to do that each week. Nevertheless, in our camp, the majority of children do NOT come from Christian homes. So, there is no way to present Bible lessons in the same manner you might approach a Sunday school or AWANA group. Literally, we had to start at Genesis 1:1. Where else could we begin to tell the story of our God but "in the beginning?"
It was incredibly exciting to "take the gospel" to people who have never before heard it. While the teaching surely was nothing to write home about, the content was fantastic and it thrilled my soul to be able to share the Truth about the origins of man and the faithfulness of our God to send a Savior! Up to now, I have always filled the role of counselor so heading up the work of developing the curriculum and teaching was definitely a stretching experience for me. We had been blessed to have had the same gal do this for us for four consecutive years and to say that I have an even deeper appreciation for all she did having filled her shoes would be an understatement. However, as I am sure she could attest, God does enable us to do whatever He calls us to do. So, I do thank Him for all He did through (and in spite of) me this year in this new position.
Special Moments
In addition to scheduled teaching times, the Lord afforded several teachable moments which was great. Since the workers are believers, every one is a servant and Bible teacher in a very real sense. And the counselors especially did a marvelous work of introducing devotions each day with the children. Again, it is so hard to do this with children that have no such habit or have never before been exposed to studying the Bible. But, they persevered through distractions and little bodies that are bent on wiggling and I know that the Lord will greatly use those times and the seed that was planted to eventually open the minds of those children to the Truth.
For certain, trusting the Lord to work in hearts is what this whole ministry is really centered around. And therefore this camp could not be in better hands! These kids were brought to this camp for a divine purpose. And we trust Him to do His work in them in His perfect time!
On a personal note, each night as a relief counselor I would read the Scriptures in the boys' dorm. This hour and a half time slot ended up being the toughest time each day for me. The boys are . . . well, boys, for one thing. And they were never willing partners in turning out the lights and calling it a day at camp. (ha ha) And with all the fun they were having, I cannot say that I really blamed them. I wanted to share about one little boy, particularly, who really struggled throughout the week with his behavior. Let's just say he was none too happy about having the Bible read to him. In fact, more than once I really wondered if he might be demon-possessed! (Okay - it wasn't THAT bad, but it was pretty tough at times!)
He yelled at me quite a lot the first night to "shut up" and threw things at me. The 2nd night, he cursed at me for insisting that he turn off his mp4 player and listen to the Bible story. When I took it away from him, then the fireworks really began. (Yikes!) Oh, and yes, in care you're wondering, he again tossed every item he could get his hands on at me and then yelled all sorts of obscenities, demanding his stuff back! He had a temper for sure! And he was unafraid to show it. (he, he, he) However, since I am not one who is prone to quitting easily and far more stubborn than he'll ever be, I pressed on and eventually, I outlasted him. Seeing that his temper tantrum was not getting the desired result, he gave up, slumped down into his bed quietly and listened to the Bible story until he finally drifted off to sleep.
It's hard to aptly paint this picture, but the stress he caused the other boys was very real and it was difficult at times to know what to do. We tried to calm him down and reason with him, but I think he's grown accustomed to throwing a fit and getting his own way. Love is not always doting. Sometimes love demands discipline. For the wisdom the Lord granted during these difficult times, and for the co-laborers who helped, I certainly do praise the Lord.
On a positive note, the rest of the cabin listened carefully each night. The next day, I always asked a question about the Bible story and gave a prize to the one who could answer it correctly (and these were not easy questions - mind you). To my great joy, there would always be at least one boy who could answer the question of the day. It was hard not to do a little dance when they would go into all this detail, telling me what they had learned the night before. It was staggering to hear Truth pouring out of these little bodies. So fun!
Well, back to my special boy... in spite of all of his outbursts and protestations, he did end up listening more readily to the Bible being read to him more and more as the week progressed. In stead of fighting it, he began asking to have passages read to him. The last night, prompted by his very wonderful and patient counselor who had spent a lot of time with him reading the Word and encouraging him, he came up to my chair and apologized to me for the way he had treated me. He even told me that he loved me. For just a moment, I saw 'what could be' in that hurting little boy. It was a powerful moment! When he had crawled into bed, and could no longer see me, I admit that I totally lost it and cried silently! It was just one of those moments where you see that God is doing something in a heart and it is so moving that the only way you can respond is to just weep for joy. Praise the Lord for what He has started to do in that little boy! Great stuff!
While it is so awful to see the damage that has been done to these great little kids, it is far greater to see that love truly does make a difference. And while these boys and girls were not magically transformed in a week's time, each child made strides in some way. And for each little bit of progress or ounce of faith that was grown, I praise the Lord.
Things the Kids Got to Do
Swimming and diving; horse-back riding; visiting the petting station and nature center; trying their hand at archery, wall climbing, and fishing playing in the lake on the Blob; hiking; arts and crafts; playing on two mega slides: The Bullet and The Black Hole; and holding many competitive games of Cornhole and carpet ball. And I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty! They also had a movie night, a birthday party replete with cake and ice cream and a huge bag full of very cool toys for each child, a manhunt for a train robber, and other fun evening activities.
What I came away with this week:
- The Lord has given me such a love for my co-workers in Christ through all of this. When the body of Christ works the way that it should, it is truly a beautiful sight to behold. If any of you are reading this, know that I deeply love and appreciate each and every one of you. Truly, you ARE my brothers and sisters!
- And lastly, the Lord expanded my heart to really and deeply love these kids - right where they are. Let's face it. Well-behaved children are easy to love. But God has called us to love all people, period. And what is so great is that, by His grace and with His help, it isn't even hard to do.
May our Heavenly Father work in the hearts of our kids and bring them back to us again next year so we can continue to "plant" and "water" and watch Him bring the increase, all for His great glory!
