Week 5 - Everybody needs a GoodBuddy
When we left off in the last post, we were right in the middle of Session 1 at Camp Good Buddy. With Session 1 in the books, Session 2 is wrapping up and it's hard to believe how much has happened in just a couple of weeks.
During the first session, I bounced around wherever I was needed. One minute I was serving food, the next I was buried in the dish pit, and before long I was helping run games and camp events. It was one of those weeks where every job mattered, and getting to jump into different roles gave me a chance to see camp from a lot of different angles.
Meanwhile, Cassie landed on what might be the most important crew at camp—the kitchen team.
Seriously, don't underestimate what good food can do.
The kitchen crew works behind the scenes all day long, putting together home-cooked meals that become one of the biggest ways campers experience love and care. A lot of these kids come from difficult home situations, so sitting down to a meal that's made with love means more than most people realize. You can tell it's making an impact too. Every week campers talk about how good the food is, and it's one of the things that constantly shows up in camp reviews.
It's a reminder that ministry isn't always on a stage. Sometimes it looks like washing dishes, serving seconds, or making sure a kid gets a warm meal.
That's really the heartbeat of Camp Good Buddy.
We want every camper to know they can come exactly as they are. No pretending. No cleaning themselves up first. Just a safe place where they can be known, loved, and experience the love of Jesus. For some of these kids, this might be the only place all year where they encounter that kind of unconditional love.
Session 1 was packed with moments we'll never forget. We celebrated as one camper gave his life to Jesus, we got to reconnect with friends from Shelter Skate Church back in Greenville, South Carolina, and Camp Good Buddy had the biggest group of girls we've ever hosted. It was incredible to watch God moving in so many different ways.
Then Session 2 rolled around, and my role changed completely.
The camp needed another counselor, so I jumped in without hesitation.
That meant spending the week with two awesome boys who couldn't have had more different personalities or stories. At first, they kept me at arm's length, but everything changed when they found out my wife is from Australia. That bit of information instantly made me "the coolest guy at camp."
I'll take the win.
As funny as it was, I honestly saw it as an answer to prayer. Before the week started, I'd been asking God to give me favor with these guys and to open the door for real conversations. Once the walls started coming down, they trusted me with pieces of their stories.
And they were heavy.
Hearing what these boys have already lived through at such a young age was heartbreaking. The reality is that many of these kids carry burdens no child should ever have to carry.
As the week went on, our conversations naturally shifted toward faith. We talked about the difference between simply believing God exists and actually surrendering your heart to Him. Those conversations felt honest, unforced, and full of hope.
Neither of them made that decision this week, but seeds were planted.
If you think about it, would you pray for these two boys? Pray that God continues the work He started this week, that His Spirit keeps drawing them closer, and that one day they'll take that step of faith and make Jesus their saviour.
With Session 2 officially wrapped up, we've got one more day of cleaning, tearing everything down, and getting camp packed away before we hit the road. After that, Cassie and I are taking a few days to catch our breath, recharge, and soak in everything God has done over the last couple of weeks. Then it's back on the road as we head to Winter Park, Colorado, for our next opportunity to serve. We're excited to see what God has waiting for us there and grateful that we get to keep saying "yes" to wherever He leads. Thanks for following along on the journey—and as always, thanks for your prayers. They mean more than you know.
