By Enniael, Summer Intern at Kingston-Galloway
As another week of camp has come to an end, I find myself reflecting on how truly blessed I am to be serving at Kingston-Galloway for a second summer. It has been great to reconnect with the kids after almost a year and to see how much they have grown in every aspect of their lives. It has been encouraging to see not only their physical and emotional growth, but also how much they have grown spiritually, specifically in their understanding of the gospel.
One of my biggest concerns for this summer was that I would constantly be comparing this summer’s experience to last year's experience. God did so many amazing things in my life and in the lives of the kids at Kingston-Galloway last summer and I was afraid that this summer wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I found myself dwelling on these thoughts which caused my feelings of excitement for this summer to turn into feelings of nervousness. However, the weekend before camp started, God impressed Isaiah 43:18-19 on my heart:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”.
Through these two verses, God reminded me that mulling over the past (even if it was a good past) can keep us from the new things that he has in-store for us. God is always working in the lives of his children even when we cannot clearly see it. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 18:8). However, I am constantly changing as I grow in my relationship with him. I am not the same as I was last summer and neither are the kids; therefore, God will do something new, something that is tailored specifically to where we are at right now in our walk with him. Throughout the first week of camp, God has shown me the areas in which I have grown in the past year and as previously mentioned, how much the kids have grown and changed since last summer. I am starting to perceive this new thing. Hearts that once seemed hardened to the gospel are now more receptive. God has made a way through the “wilderness” and “desert” of their hearts.
I have realized that God is inviting me to get out of the past and take a step of faith into the future that he has for me and for every child attending Sonshine Day Camp. I am very excited to be a part of this “new thing” that God is doing in this community! I can’t wait to see what this summer holds and to see what God is going to do next, in both my life and the kids’ lives.
It is Enniael's second year as a summer intern. She wants to invest in future generations by helping children learn what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.