“I’m Not Who I Used to Be”: How FCA Camp Changed Jaxon Berg’s Life

For Jaxon Berg of Redwood Falls, MN, he expected FCA Sports Camp to be a week of cross country, new friends, and summer fun.

Instead, it became so much more. In his words, “it was the most important week of my life.”

This summer was Jaxon’s first experience at FCA Camp. He came to Northland FCA Sports Camp in June as a Cross Country runner. Like hundreds of other athletes, he spent the week training in his sport, building relationships with his huddle, and hearing the Gospel through speakers, worship and conversations with FCA leaders.

But God was doing something much deeper in Jaxon’s heart.

“Before I came here, I thought I had been saved by God, but in reality, I was still holding onto sin,” Jaxon shared after camp. “I was trying to negotiate with God that what I was doing was okay.”

During the week, that changed.

“As of yesterday, I dropped my sin at the altar,” he wrote. “It was so beneficial to have the conversations I had and to learn the stuff I learned. Cross Country was just a side quest.”

For Jaxon, FCA Camp became a place where the Gospel moved from something he knew about to something that changed his life.

He Wasn’t Ready for Camp to End

Just days after returning home from Sports Camp, Jaxon registered for Northland FCA LEADership Camp.

He wanted more.

At LEADership Camp, Jaxon was surrounded again by coaches, FCA staff, huddle leaders and other students who were serious about following Jesus. This time, the focus went even deeper into helping students grow in their faith and become leaders who can influence others for Christ.

“The Holy Spirit was moving in such incredible ways,” Jaxon shared afterward. “Tears were shed, memories were made, and best of all: faith was grown.”

In the span of one summer, Jaxon went from attending his first FCA Camp to intentionally pursuing opportunities to grow deeper in his relationship with Jesus.

And he didn’t stop there.

“I’m Not Who I Used to Be”

Not long after camp, Jaxon was baptized.

As he publicly declared his faith, he thanked the people God had placed around him throughout his journey, including his family, pastor and the FCA huddle leaders and speakers who had invested in him at camp.

Then he shared a simple statement that captures what this summer meant:

“I want people to know that I’m not who I used to be and that things have changed.”

That is the hope of FCA Camp.

Camp is about sports, competition and unforgettable experiences. But those things create an opportunity for something much greater. For several days, coaches and athletes step away from their normal routines and are surrounded by people who intentionally engage them with the Gospel, equip them in their faith and challenge them to live differently when they return home.

Jaxon came to camp to run cross country. He went home changed.

Now, the Impact Multiplies

The story doesn’t end with Jaxon’s baptism or with the end of summer.

Jaxon is going back to his campus community in Redwood Falls with a growing faith, a changed life and a desire to follow Jesus.

And that is where the potential impact of camp becomes exponential.

FCA Camp creates an intensive environment for discipleship, but students do not stay at camp. They return to their teams, schools, families and communities. They return to the places where they already have relationships and influence.

One transformed life can influence another. One disciple can help make another disciple - That is the model Jesus gave us.

Jaxon closed his baptism post with Jesus’ words from Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”