As an angel stands in the way of his passing, Balaam reprimands his donkey for making a fool of him by laying down in the middle of the road. It’s not until the donkey speaks that Balaam’s eyes are opened and he sees the same angel that is preventing the donkey from passing by. How often are our eyes blinded to the things that God is trying to reveal to us. It’s not until our eyes and hearts are opened that we can hear and know God’s voice. Each night as I shared a message with the campers at Camp Orchard Hill I could see their eyes opening to what God had to share with each of them. Children’s hearts were opened to the message of Jesus’s love and forgiveness. Over the week over 75 children made personal decisions to follow Jesus. Others made a renewed commitment to pray, listen, read their Bibles and trust Jesus more in all their decision making. On the last night we sat next to the lake as the sun was setting. A camp fire provided the only light as we worshipped the Lord and reflected on the past week. Here are a few of the testimonies that the kids shared that evening.
“I realize that Jesus is always with me and will never leave me.”
“I realized that I can have joy even though my dad just died because I now know that he is in heaven and I’ll see him one day.”
“I didn’t really believe much in God but now I know God and asked Jesus into my heart and I want to live for Him forever.”
“I learned that when I trust in Jesus I can stand firm and be strong even when things get tough.”
“Now I know that Jesus will provide for me and now I don’t need to worry about those things anymore.”
These were just a few of the testimonies shared that evening. I was encouraged as I heard what God had done in the lives of the kids that week and was humbled that God used me to establish and grow their relationship with Him.