Can Three Days Really Change Anything?

Current high school senior Abby Orvis attended FCA Leadership Camp last summer.

Did it make a difference?

If Abby’s story is any indication, camp is a means of equipping and serves as a catalyst for growth. For Abby, the training, worship, and fellowship at Leadership Camp inspired her to step up and out in boldness. She asked to step into a leadership role in the Stewartville FCA huddle and pursue the vision the Lord laid on her heart. Yes, the huddle has grown, but through all of this Abby’s faith has grown deeper – releasing fear of letting others (and herself) down – holding onto the truth there is only One she should seek to please. She’s had a platform to share her faith and what the Lord is teaching her, realizing she is never alone; she has the Father as well as fellow Christ-followers in her huddle who are going after the same thing. The change and the impact started within her own heart and rippled out into her community.

Whether it’s a junior sports camp for elementary age students or Leadership Camp for high school leaders, it matters. There’s no way of knowing the heart condition of each camper who attends – that’s the Lord’s area. It could be these camps serve to be the place they truly hear the Gospel for the first time or the place they see their peers or adult leaders demonstrating what an authentic faith looks like. It could be the place they develop a lasting friendship that leads them deeper in relationship with God. It could be the place they learn to lead a discipleship group and how to share their own story of how God is at work.

We’re not called to judge the worth of the soil in front of us, we’re called to sow (Matthew 13). We’re not promised to always see the results of our labor, but we can trust in the promise that God is who He says He is and that His Word will never return void (Isaiah 55:11). Even if to our eyes and experience it looks like nothing is happening, we can trust when the Gospel and heart of Jesus is shared, nothing is wasted. We don’t know if that seed will take root the next week, year, or 15 years down the road, if at all. But God knows. We trust that and keep sowing. This is why Minnesota FCA firmly believes in camp ministry – it allows the space for seeds to be planted and for the Spirit of God to do what He will in the hearts of those who attend.

What difference can 3 days make?

We need look no further than the empty tomb for the answer.

It can change everything.