Loving the Littles

““Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’””

— Matthew 19:14

I decided to return for the second time as a Summer Intern at Sonshine Day Camp, because of the relationships that I built in Flemingdon Park with the older bunch of students in my small group. Throughout last summer, I shared my love for worship music with them and had intentional conversations with them about the Gospel, and the lessons that we taught. 

This summer, in moving to the Jesse-Ketchum community and meeting a new camp of children, I set the goal for myself to stray out of my comfort zone with the older campers. I was determined to reach out to the younger children, affectionately dubbed the Littles by the staff at Jesse-Ketchum. At camp, I have found that as I spend increasingly more time with the youngest campers, God has supplied me with overflowing love and grace for them. 

Because I do not have any work experience or schooling in working with young children, last summer I was apprehensive about leading a small group consisting of only the campers from grades 1-3. I was uncertain how to communicate best with the young campers, and I wasn’t confident in being able to make a meaningful connection with them. I also knew that in the past, my patience was short with children in that age range, and I was afraid of being short-tempered and impatient with them. 

But this year, I’ve been more intentional in spending time in conversation with the Littles, eating lunch together, and gravitating towards them during our free time in the gym. I have also seen during our times of teaching the Bible, often the Littles take the lead in participating and answering questions that we ask. Seeing their genuine curiosity in what we are teaching has given me so much encouragement, and has filled me with so much joy. It has shown me that God will reveal Himself to each and every one of His children regardless of the stage of life that they are in. I have seen firsthand through just the first week of camp, that my role as an Intern this summer is to simply deliver to the young campers the Gospel message, and to show them the love that Jesus first showed us. While I may not see the fruits of the team’s labour right away, I can have faith in knowing that God is with the Littles and day by day He is changing them to be more like Him.

What a Friend we have in Jesus

“On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’
For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””

— Matthew 9:12-13 NIV

There are many different names and titles that are attributed to Jesus: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, the Son of God, the Good Shepherd, etc. But over these past three months serving as an intern with TCM, I have been reflecting on how Jesus is our Friend, and what that means in the lives of the children who attend our program and in my personal life. 

I stepped into the Year-Long Intern position at the beginning of January because I wanted to continue to serve the children in Toronto, and I wanted to find out what my role and purpose were in the lives of the kids. I knew I wanted to be a Christ-like role model for them, but I didn’t know practically how to do that. During the internship, I have had the opportunity to meet children and youth in each of our three communities, playing games, teaching the Bible and having conversations with many different students. 

March Break Camp was especially memorable for me, seeing the excited smiles on the faces of the kids each day, but one encounter with a child sticks out to me in particular from that week. During lunchtime, I saw that one of our younger boys was sitting by himself away from the rest of the group, and I walked over to him to have lunch. After asking what was wrong, he told me that he didn’t want to eat with the rest of the boys because they were mean to him, and he didn’t feel that he had many friends either at the program or at school. I decided to sit with him for the rest of the week for lunch, and I reminded him that I was his friend. I saw the surprised and excited look on his face, and as simple a gesture as eating lunch together was in my eyes, I realized the significance this could have in this student’s life. 

I am reminded of the stories of Jesus going to the houses of Matthew and Zacchaeus. Many of the Jewish people likely despised them because of their jobs as people who took money from them and cheated them. And yet we read in Matthew 9:9-13 and in Luke 19:1-10 that Jesus spends time with the people who are ostracized. I think that similarly, I am called in this ministry to be a friend to all the children, but especially those who need a friend. 

God has blessed me with this opportunity at TCM to be a Christ-like older brother figure for the boys who come to our programs, and I believe that He has placed me here in this season to be a light in our communities using the gifts that He has given me. But I have realized that in order to exemplify to the kids who Christ is, I need to know who Jesus is myself. Jesus is the Almighty Lord of my life and is my Savior for my sin, but through reflection, I have come to know Jesus as my Friend. During my internship, I have learned that I can turn to Jesus during my times of loneliness in faith that He too will come to sit with me.

Learning to Love Like Christ

Reflections by: Luke Goh | Summer Camp Intern, Flemingdon Park

To be perfectly honest, if I knew just how mentally tiring this summer’s work would be in addition to the physical tax associated with running around with young children everyday, I might have had a little bit more hesitation in responding to God’s call to serve the community in Flemingdon Park this summer. I feel that my patience has been tested in numerous ways this summer, from frustrations in working with different people and managing rowdy kids to arts and crafts plans going awry. In each circumstance, I’ve realized more strongly how much I need to rely on God’s strength to overcome each challenge.

In each circumstance, I’ve realized more strongly how much I need to rely on God’s strength to overcome each challenge.

As an example, one week I planned a craft involving paper airplanes that I believed would help the campers to get to know one another better, while also being fun. Lo and behold, half an hour late my plans along with the airplanes crashed and burned. I seethed in my frustration while I cleaned up the mess that the kids had left behind to go outside. In that moment, I felt God extend His love to me and I felt His calming presence surround me, and I was able to finish the day without yelling at the children in anger. I was reminded of my purpose for embarking on this mission; to build loving relationships with the children that in me they might see a shining example of God’s love for them. I have learned through my time in Flemingdon Park that truly I can do nothing apart from God, as it is written in John 15:5. 

This summer I have seen God working in the church that we occupy through the developing love for worship that the members of my small group have. Leading children’s worship can be a difficult endeavor for those foreign to loud exaggerated dance moves, and many of the children came into camp with a seemingly “too cool for school” mentality, refusing to participate in the daily allotted time for praise. Yet as the summer has progressed, I am extremely encouraged and also excited at the joy that the children in my small group have grown for worshiping God, constantly asking me to play “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” and “My Lighthouse” for them on my phone. As someone who finds the same joy in musical worship, I am thankful to God for opening their ears to hear God’s amazing promises captured in these songs.

Even though I’ve only been with these children for a short while, it will remain in my prayers that they might come to experience the joy in knowing Jesus as their Savior.