Naples Winter Kids Camp
In my mind, I was heading to Italy for just another kids camp. Having helped organize and run summer kids camps at my church for the last 8 years, I didn’t anticipate this one being any different. And yet, throughout it my life was changed. Looking back, I’m not fully sure who was served more during it, the kids or myself. Hearing the stories of the Ukrainian refugee children we worked with I often wanted to cry at the things they’ve had to endure, but was reminded every day of the grace of God who brought us there to serve.
The ministry started when a team of young adults traveled to Naples in January 2023 to help a local Ukrainian church that had started a few years back. While small, they served however they could - helping the homeless, organizing street day programs for the kids, and holding services weekly.
The team from the US worked alongside them for a little over a week and when they left, had the desire to help organize a camp in the summer for those same kids they had worked with. Through God’s provision, the summer camp became a reality and changed the lives of many of the kids who attended.
In the winter, we decided to host a camp once more and this is where my opportunity to serve came in. A part of the sports team, days were filled with running around the campsite and making sure that we were set up for activities throughout the day, had all of the equipment we needed, and made camp fun for the kids - most importantly, draining their energy a bit so they could go to sleep at night. However, serving there encompassed so much more than that single role. Whether it was helping out in the kitchen, cleaning bathrooms, acting in the evening skits, or sitting down to have a conversation with a kiddo to hear their life story, every moment was a blessing.
One of my favorite moments from camp happened when we took the kids on a hike up to an abandoned castle in the mountains. Earlier during camp, I had torn a hole in my sneakers while playing soccer with the boys and one of the older boys noticed on the hike when we were walking and talking. I didn’t bring any spare ones with me, so I figured I would make do for the duration of the camp and didn’t worry too much about them. Yet, he decided to offer me his extra pair of sneakers that he had back at the campsite once we got back. Granted, they were a few sizes too big for my feet, but his simple offer reminded me of what it meant to give everything you have for someone else. In this day and age of us always seeking instant gratification, we often miss taking a step back and being grateful for what we have in the moment regardless of the circumstances that we may find ourselves in.
Throughout the camp, we saw God working in the lives of these children, many of whom come from broken, nonbeliever families. While they came to the camp with guarded hearts and very little trust, many left with tears in their eyes. One of the younger boys hugged me as he was getting into the car to leave, refused to let go, and asked if I’d come back in the summer to play soccer with him again. Even through the smallest acts done in love, we saw blessings multiply and change their hearts and attitudes in the week we were there. I learned what it meant to simply share my faith - not in the ways that we’re used to when working with children who grew up in the church, but in ways that show that God truly is real and loves every single one of us to the point of death on a cross. That’s the love that’s real. That’s the love that changes lives. And that’s the love that we hope to share with people not only on our mission trips, but every single day of our lives.
