By Jade Hunsberger
I accepted Jesus into my heart in the year 2000 at Jr. High 1 at Delanco Camp. I was too young to camp, but my parents were on staff for the week, so I attended with them. I remember kneeling at the altar in the Tabernacle one night, praying with a counselor to accept Jesus into my heart. I remember thinking at first that I didn’t feel any different. I was only eight years old.
After I had been going to Delanco for about three years, I went to a different camp for adopted children. I remember feeling alone because there weren’t any other Christian kids to talk to, and they didn’t pray before they ate meals or read devotions before bedtime. That’s when I realized that I had changed. I realized that being a Christian was not something you do for one day and then stop. I realized it wasn’t going to be easy, because not everyone shares the same beliefs as me.
When I leave Delanco to come home, I feel like I am moving to a new house. It’s like Delanco is my home because everyone there knows me and shares my beliefs. Most of my friends are from there. I have my counselors to talk to. Sometimes, permanent staff talks with me at free time about spiritual things. This summer, I served as a counselor for the first time at junior camp and got to share about faith with younger children.
At school, I do what I learned at camp by making myself available to talk with any peers who need someone to talk to, since school is an atmosphere where I can influence others. I think they look up to me and respect my faith. But, outside school, I also do what I learned at camp—I’m very careful about who I spend time with, since my goal is to live with Jesus at my side, guiding every minute of my life. This is why I prefer to be around Christians from Delanco during the school year. Some of my friends from Delanco live far away, so I have sleepovers with them to spend time with them.
Without Jesus’ salvation, we wouldn’t go to heaven because we are sinners. We are called to lead a life of Holiness in our thoughts, our words and our actions. Delanco helps me to accomplish this in my life.
Have a testimony of what God has done in your life through Delanco Camp? E-mail it to matt.ralph@delanco.org.
