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One week of summer camp can often equal six months of discipleship! That is how powerful a week filled with God's Word, heartfelt worship, and freedom from the distractions of phones, sports, and the pressures of everyday life can be for a teenager.

For Calvary Church's middle school and high school students, that opportunity begins next week as we send them to Hume Lake from this Sunday, July 12, through Saturday, July 18.

My freshman year of high school was filled with disappointment. My dad had lost his job as a pastor at the only church I had ever known. My friends were beginning to dabble in the party scene and were strongly encouraging me to join them. I had lost motivation in school and quickly fell behind in several classes. Even baseball, the sport that had defined much of my childhood, had become discouraging. By the summer after my freshman year, I remember feeling lost, discouraged, and spiritually apathetic.

Sensing that I needed a change of scenery (and probably a change of heart!), my parents signed me up for Hume Lake Christian Camp. When my mom told me, my first response was, "I'm not going!"

The thought of spending a week in the mountains with a bunch of students I barely knew and following a schedule of chapels, meals, and activities during what I considered my precious summer freedom felt like torture. Even the night before we left, I pleaded with my parents to let me stay home.

I'll never forget sitting on the church bus as it pulled out of the parking lot in Santa Cruz. I honestly remember looking at the window and thinking, "Maybe I should jump out before it's too late!"

The first few days at camp, I did my best to sabotage the experience. I was grumpy, withdrawn, and not interested in making friends or participating. But little by little, through the faithful teaching of God's Word, meaningful worship, and the kindness of leaders and students around me, God began softening my heart.

Then came Thursday night.

On that beautiful summer evening in the old Hume Lake Ponderosa Chapel, surrounded by tall and towering sequoia trees, it felt as though the speaker was talking directly to me. At the end of his message, he invited anyone who wanted to surrender their life to Jesus to come forward for prayer.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself halfway down the aisle. My heart was overflowing with gratitude for who Jesus is, and I knew I wanted to follow Him.

I still remember my prayer that night.

"Lord, I believe You are 100% real, and I commit to following You for the rest of my life... except please don't make me a pastor like my dad or a missionary, I definitely don't want to move to Africa!"

That was my fifteen-year-old version of total surrender!

Thankfully, the first part of that prayer stuck.

By God's grace, from that day until today, I have continued following Jesus.

And thankfully, the second part of that prayer didn't!

Today I have the incredible privilege of serving as the Missions Pastor at Calvary Church, and I absolutely love what God has called me to do.

I share this story for two reasons.

First, to give glory to God. He truly changes lives, and I am one small example of His grace.

Second, to ask each of you to join us in praying for the 105 high school students (9th-12th grade) and 83 middle school students (6th-8th grade) who will be spending next week at Hume Lake.

Would you pray specifically that:

• Students who don't yet know Jesus would place their faith in Him.
• Students who already follow Christ would deepen their walk with Him and boldly surrender every area of their lives.
• God would call some students into vocational ministry, missions, church planting, and other forms of Gospel service.
• Friendships would be strengthened and Christ-centered community would flourish.
• Cabin leaders, counselors, speakers, and worship teams would be filled with wisdom, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Pray specifically for next week’s High School camp speaker, Jake Ellis, the teaching pastor at Atascadero Bible Church and the Middle School camp speaker, Jeff Sanford, a high school teacher at Hume Lake Charter School.
• Students would experience freedom from anxiety, loneliness, addiction, temptation, and discouragement.
• The Holy Spirit would use God's Word to soften hearts, bring conviction, and produce lasting life change.
• God would protect everyone as they travel to and from camp and keep students healthy throughout the week.
• The decisions students make at Hume would continue long after they return home, producing lifelong disciples of Jesus.

Please join me in praying that this week at Hume Lake becomes one of those defining moments students look back on years from now and say, "That was the week God changed my life."

Who knows? Maybe thirty-five years from now, one of these students will be telling a story remarkably similar to mine.

A former Hume Lake student,
Matt Doan
Reach Pastor