Sonshine Day Camp is not just for kids
Hello Friends,
Summer is a time for kids to be kids! A time to play, explore and make memories. This summer, we are expecting 120 children and 30 youth impacted by poverty to join us at Sonshine Day Camp, where they will enjoy daily activities, including Bible lessons, crafts, sports, swimming, and field trips, but most importantly, through our Outreach Workers and summer interns, we hope to build loving relationships and share the hope of Jesus with them. We invite you to join us in prayer and consider supporting Sonshine Day Camp above and beyond your regular giving.
At Toronto City Mission (TCM), we minister not only to children and youth, but also to their families. We pray for our families to be transformed by God, that they will have the lasting joy and peace that surpasses all circumstances. Last summer, we got to see God at work! One mother's story, in particular, stood out to us:
Who would have thought that through Sonshine Day Camp, God would reach not only children, but also their parents? Through a school’s parent council, Laura* learned about TCM’s Sonshine Day Camp and enrolled her daughter, Lyla*, into our program for the first time last summer. Little did we know, God had already begun working in her heart before we even knew her.
Last summer, our partner church, where we hosted Sonshine Day Camp, dedicated one Sunday to inviting our campers and their families to join a special worship service. Our campers even got a chance to perform some of their favourite worship songs in front of their parents and the church. Laura was one of the parents who attended that service with her daughter, and she loved it. The last time she attended church was when she was a child. For many years, she had been wrestling with her faith, but she told us that she began contemplating her faith before that Sunday service. After attending, she shared with us that she loved the Christian community and saw the value of raising children in a church.
After the summer, Laura enrolled her daughter in our after-school programs, where Lyla continued to learn about God. Every week, Lyla would bring home a memory verse from our Bible lesson and read it with her mother.
God can use anything to bring His children, young and old, back to Him. That summer, He used Sonshine Day Camp as a link to bring Laura back to church again. Through this link, her daughter, Lyla, continues to learn about the Gospel daily throughout the school year. We pray as we faithfully plant the seed of hope, God will use it for His glory, that one day both Laura and Lyla will know that they are His children.
*Name changed to protect privacy
We firmly believe that God has a beautiful purpose for those He is bringing to our programs. This summer, would you be the link that brings children and families impacted by poverty to God?
With $230, you help enable us to continue providing day camps free of charge so more families like Laura and Layla will encounter the love of Christ.
In His Service,
Elliott Shin
Executive Director