With tears in his eyes he came to Christ

School camps are an incredibly important opportunity for young people as they grow and mature toward adulthood and gain more independence.

Youthworks Outdoor Education camps are also where many young people grapple seriously with their faith for the first time.

When a group from Shire Grammar School visited the Youthworks Deer Park site recently, the students were given that kind of opportunity.

During morning devotions, Cameron Hyslop from Jannali Anglican Church challenged the students to to think about where their identity lies, and if it lies in Christ, what that means for them.

Deer Park team member Georgia remembers one student who was particularly impacted after a devotion gave them the opportunity to pray a prayer of commitment to God if they wanted.

“Cameron and I were chatting in the hall after the discussion groups when a boy named Tom* burst in, sprinting up to Cameron and I yelling... ‘CAMERON CAMERON I WANNA PRAY THE PRAYER! CAN YOU PRAY WITH ME?’"  

“We slowed him down and asked some follow up questions and he said with tears in his eyes... ‘I've just realised that I'm not right with God, and I wanna fix it now’”

After praying with him, Georgia found out he did not have a Bible of his own. So she made sure he went home with his own Bible as well as a few additional resources, which he gladly accepted with tears still in his eyes.

“In the words of the head teacher upon debriefing with the school… ‘heaven rejoiced today’, for they gained another family member”, says Georgia.

Thanks to friends like you investing in young people through Youthworks, Tom’s story and many others like it are possible. You’re helping local churches and Christian schools effectively orient young people to Christ for life.

 *name changed for privacy reasons