Today’s guest blog is by Wes Smith who served as a Team Leader and as a Camp Director. In 2011, Wes was the CentriKid Director at Anderson University.
Camp is an amazing place where lives are changed forever. Staffers leave camp with new skills in leadership, relationship building, and the ability to share their faith. These are all great ways that camp equips staffers for a life of ministry, but these are not the greatest impact CentriKid had on my life. After serving on camp staff for 5 years, I can think of numerous situations and opportunities that have forever shaped who I am. All of these things had an impact on my life, but the greatest impact CentriKid had on my life is that I leave being more in love with Christ than when I started.
At camp I was able to see a group of 20-25 college students with different interests, personalities, and talents unite together as family because of the gospel and get to share it with kids each week. I got to experience kids that came to camp that had never been told they were loved at home be lavished with the love of the Father by camp staff. I had the opportunity to see staffers crying and begging God to work in kids lives. At camp I was able to see God answer prayers as kids who came to camp dead in their sins leave alive in Christ because of what he did for them on the cross.
I will forever be indebted to CentriKid and the impact it had on my life. I will never forget the friends and partners in the gospel I gained while serving on staff. Above all Centrikid opened my eyes to the fact that Jesus is still alive and rescuing people out of their sin. Camp helped me see that the God who put the stars in the sky is the same God who loves the little children. It reminded me that the creator of the universe loves us so much that he came and died on a cross for us. The impact of CentriKid on my life will be greater than a lifetime. It will be for eternity. I pray we all leave CentriKid Camp more in love with Christ than when we came. To God be the glory for all he has done in the hearts and lives of kids, adults, and staff at CentriKid.