The Call
About a year ago, God put foster care ministry on my heart when a good friend shared with me what she had learned in college about children in the foster care system. It broke my heart as she explained to me the tragic circumstances of foster kids and how many of them become homeless and susceptible to sex trafficking within a couple years of leaving the system. Fortunately, there are organizations like Royal Family KIDS that seek to confront abuse and provide hope to neglected and abused children. So as soon as I found out my church would be hosting a camp through Royal Family KIDS, I knew I had to help!
Serving
I joined the camp as a staff photographer and took photos for the kids to keep in a memory photo book. It was inspiring to watch and photograph the counselors and staff display unconditional love to their campers, who may have never experienced this love before. Although there were times of hardship for everyone at the camp, the week was full of joy (and dancing!) as everyone worked to provide the kids with the best week of their lives. There were royal tea parties with Princess Anna from Frozen, games with the camp Aunt and Uncle, story time with the camp Grandma and Grandpa, a birthday party for the kids, and so much more! It was an incredible week because of the work Jesus did through all of us!
Reflection
Through the week, one of our camp leaders would always mention how these past few days have felt like the longest three months of our lives. This was not to say we weren’t having fun serving the kids at camp, but because the week was so physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining. However, feeling emotionally spent was necessary because it made us completely rely on the Lord. We came to Him with everything through prayer. Only by His example were we able to show His grace and love to the kids at camp.
Scripture displays how precious children are to God so much so that Jesus states, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16, NIV). Unfortunately, these kids at camp have not grown up in a stable home that has allowed them to thrive as children of God. However, through Royal Family KIDS camp, we were able to provide them with a safe space to enjoy being a kid and experience the love Christ has for them. I feel very lucky to have played a small part in making these kids feel special and known.
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed” (Psalm 82:3, NIV).