Defining Moments

As many of you know, we took 54 students and leaders to BigStuf camps this past week. Based on experience, I believed that this camp would be life-changing for our students, but it was during one of the leader training sessions that I realized how life-changing BigStuf camps had been for me. When Reggie Joiner asked us to think back on the defining moments of our lives, I thought of a moment that occurred in that same room three years earlier when I met Reggie for the first time. He invited me to be part of the camp that they were developing for elementary students, which would later be named Camp KidJam. Because of that meeting, I connected with Watermarke Church a few months later.

As a result of that defining moment, I have had the opportunity to be part of other defining moments with children, students, and families at Watermarke church. Many of those moments happened this past week at BigStuf camps.

One of my prayers for our middle school students is that they would learn how to freely worship God without worrying about those around them. God answered those prayers in a big way, during session after session as our students raised their hands and voices to worship our great God.

During small groups, the students were able to talk with one another about what God was doing in their lives and changes that they needed to make in order to more clearly broadcast God to the world. It was exciting to hear the stories of small groups who were able to be vulnerable with one another and share what God was doing in their lives. Some of the students had the chance to celebrate communion with each other on the beach.

During one of the sessions, The Daraja Children’s Choir sang for us and shared some of their stories. Though we all know that poverty exists in the world, to hear those who have suffered its effects share with us, gave us a whole new perspective on the issue. Some of our students chose to sponsor children through Compassion International, which is an organization that feeds, educates, and offers health care for children in third-world countries. Others had the chance to catch up with friends they had met in Kenya.

Several of our students took next steps in their relationships with Jesus, one actually chose to begin a relationship with Jesus while we were at camp. On the last night, 5 of our students demonstrated their decision to follow Jesus by being baptized in the ocean. For me, it was an unforgettable experience to watch Andy Jones baptizing our students in the ocean.

I’m certain that these brief anecdotes cannot capture all that God did in our hearts and lives this week. From here I look forward to seeing how BigStuf camps continues to impact our students, their families, and our world. ~ Wyndi Beck, Family Ministry Director