The Best YES -Andrew Bertka, Bluffton/Columbus Grove MS
In June, myself along with a few other leaders got the opportunity to take a group of students to YFC Camp for a week in Evart Michigan. Our cabin was full of 11 middle school boys and three leaders. The week was such a blast, and we got to make some awesome relationships with our students.
To give a glimpse of the fun we had, here is how we would wake our guys up. As leaders, we be up an hour earlier than the students for a leader meeting. When we got back to the cabin, out came the squeaky rubber chicken and a song called “A Pickle” to serenade the sleepy heads. Many times, students attempted to take the chicken from me. The chicken lived through camp (and so did I) and will be a staple for abruptly waking students up in the future! Though there are lots of crazy moments like this, the purpose of camp is very intentional and focused in connecting students to Christ.
One student, who attends Campus Life, did not even know about camp until the week before we left. We were hanging out and camp naturally came up. I shared the information and his parents said “YES” to going to camp! While at camp, it was obvious this young man had a blast! He was very attentive in our small group times and shared within our discussion around faith. Most importantly, this student ended up saying YES to Jesus for the first time and has been coming to church ever since! Praise God for the awesome ways he works in our lives!