This June I had the incredible privilege of speaking at Young Life’s WyldLife Camp Michindoh. We got to tell close to 1600 middle school kids the amazing news about how Jesus loves them and the life He imagines for them!
My favorite moment each week was being a part of the “new Christian walk.” We would give kids a Bible, help them learn how to use it, write in in, and encourage them to live it out. The walk went throughout camp and we talked about how we can get stronger in Jesus outside the gym, left our “dirt” at the mudpit to experience forgiveness, fled from the smell of the garbage, and then headed to our new “home.”
My favorite stretch of the walk was leading kids up the hill behind the dining hall. When we opened the door the entire work crew, summer staff, and assigned team families were inside giving them a standing ovation cheering as they came in the building. It was not just a polite clap but a raucous and sustained roar as kids continued to roll into the dining hall. Watching each of their many faces melt from shock to joy as they felt welcomed and celebrated.
At the beginning of the walk I would tell kids that all of heaven rejoices when one lost person comes home and how nuts heaven must be right now as a hundred or so kids come home to their Father who loves them. In the end it was more than words…they saw it, they lived it out, they knew it was true.
It was so great for kids but I also got to see the faces of my friends who had worked so hard all week to love and serve these kids. They would watch as more and more and more kids came through the door. Kids that God had called home. Kids that said “yes.” Kids they had served, and cleaned up after, and prayed for. It was not just words, they saw it, they had lived it out, they knew it was true.
My prayer is that none of us will ever be the same.
Mike Bredeweg has been on Young Life staff for 25 years and lives in Benton Harbor with his wife Lynda and their three kids. He loves to ride his bike and travel with his family and go out to eat with friends. The best part of his job is getting to do ministry with old friends and seeing how God has touched the lives of his kids through this ministry.
Use this form below to have each new post from this blog delivered to your inbox, we’ll try to balance out the spam.
