By: Kyle O’Neill, Program Director Hume SoCal
We are now officially in the last stretch of winter camp here at Hume SoCal and needless to say it has been a WILD ride! From our first three weekends having little to no snow, to dumping over 2 feet of snow in one weekend, it would seem as if we have seen it all this winter! But more than just the weather, we have seen the hearts and lives of the students who have walked on to our campus change for eternity in some pretty amazing ways. So many stories to share, but one that stands out to me is a story of a middle school girl named Bliss.
Bliss was a pronounced atheist coming up to camp Friday. Leaving camp less than 36 hours later, she was a devoted follower of Christ. This Winter camp theme dives into the reality of the meaning of life. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author Solomon defines life apart from loving god, fearing him, and keeping his commandments as ultimately meaningless. After the first message that our speaker gave regarding this theme, Bliss began asking questions and being very curious about Jesus, God, and the Bible. The very next evening, we invited anyone who had never yet put their faith in Christ to rise to their feet as a public declaration of their newfound commitment to Jesus. Bliss was the first one to stand to accept this invitation amongst many of her peers, who soon joined her in standing.
I am a huge fan of context so the next morning before the churches left, I approached Bliss’s youth pastor to gain a better understanding of her context in coming to the youth group. I then found out that her family has similar viewpoints on Christianity and she was never exposed to God as she was growing up. Her parents left for vacation in London two weeks before camp and left their daughter with her friend’s family. Just a week before camp, this friend invited Bliss to youth group for the first time. That very night one spot opened up for a female camper at Hume SoCal and Bliss filled it!
This testimony is such a sweet reminder that the Lord is working in ways we can never comprehend on this side of eternity. Yes, as we see in Bliss’s life, sometimes he makes himself blatantly obvious in his timing and other times he reveals himself in a gentle whisper. All this to say, the ability for students to retreat into the mountains and immerse themselves into a weekend of fellowship and fun while most importantly diving into the biggest questions of life and go back home equipped with a better relationship with God is a testament to how we as an organization will continue to stick to our Mission. Praise the Lord for Hume!