Field Report: Junior Boys 1

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Our first Jr Boys week we had 4 boys follow Christ in baptism! This was also a harder week as we had several campers with difficult issues. The campers’ stories gave us compassion for their brokenness. One camper watched his parents murder someone, and all of the boys had experienced physical or sexual abuse.

*Adrian was a freckled, socially awkward boy with glasses. Adrian was in foster care and also struggled academically. It is heartbreaking to see the number of foster kids who can’t read. Adrian was placed in foster care after his grandma died. Adrain’s first foster family had nearly destroyed his dreams and confidence. They told him he didn’t deserve anything, and made him feel guilty for eating. Though Adrian fell asleep in his bed at camp, each morning I would find him sleeping on the floor; another result of his abuse and neglect.

One afternoon I went with the boys to hit some baseballs. Adrian excitedly carried the bat to the field and the boys started hitting and retrieving balls. Then I realized Adrian was gone. After a small search, I found Adrian with his head down on the porch. “Adrian, you were excited about hitting balls, why aren’t you out there?’,  I asked.  “Someone took the bat from me. It doesn’t matter,” he responded with a defeated tone.

I responded, “Adrian you matter, and your desires matter. You’ve been lied to by the adults in your life, but the truth is, you matter. You are worth fighting for. You need to fight for yourself. If you don’t believe this, no one else can make it happen for you. Let’s go hit some balls!” 

We went down to the field and I had Adrian stand at the plate and swing his bat to build muscle memory and to help me know where to throw the ball. Most pitchers try to see how many strikes they can throw. That day I was praying that I could hit the bat. Adrian hit 4 of the 5 balls that crossed the plate, but Adrians’s victory was much greater than hitting a ball.

That night in the cabin, one of the bigger boys was messing around and told Adrian to sit down. To my joy and amazement Adrian, a good eight inches shorter, stood up, pushed out his chest and said. “You’re not telling me what to do.”  They both went chest to chest. Adrian looked up his nose through his glasses at the bigger boy. Grinning like he was loving the moment, he held his place till the older boy finally backed down. The last day of camp Adrian decided to follow Christ in baptism, and he also received an award for the most verses memorized.

A big thank you to all of you who help make camp possible for kids like Adrian.

*Names changed for confidentiality

Gratefully,
Ben Smith
Founder/Executive Director
Camp David International