God is Faithful

This summer we were blessed to host 7 weeks of Sonshine Day Camp in the Flemingdon Park, Kingston-Galloway and Jesse Ketchum communities. God answered our prayers by calling 13 individuals to serve as interns this summer which enabled us to welcome more kids to camp. We were excited to return to some sort of normalcy by enjoying a full day of camp filled with worship, bible lessons, games, sports, cooking, arts and crafts, theme days and swimming excursions. This summer our kids had the opportunity to go on various field trips in which they experienced many firsts such as going to the Zoo, Kidstown, Ontario Science Centre, SkyZone or Treetop trekking. We even had the privilege of teaching some of our kids to swim which helped them learn a valuable life skill. We are thankful for all of our sparks, donors and prayer warriors who have supported us throughout the summer. Your encouragement, thoughts and prayers have helped sustain us through the highs and lows of camp.

This was my first summer camp experience with Toronto City Mission and it was a summer full of challenges and moments of unspeakable joy. Through the highs and lows God taught me to rely on Him daily instead of relying on my own strength. God taught me the importance of using every opportunity to show and share the love of Jesus. God taught me that love without discipline is not loving at all. God showed me what it truly meant to be compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

This summer we studied the life of David who God’s chosen King. David was faithful but also a sinner who fell short of the glory of God and through his life we were able to see the gospel message displayed. We often taught bible lessons unsure if anything resonated with the kids, but we were encouraged when we saw glimpses of God’s word that have touched their hearts. It is in the moments when they bring up God in conversation or when they spontaneously burst into songs of praise. A group of our kids even decided to create a rap video summarizing David’s life in which we were able to see their creativity displayed through a musical artform. Praise God for the gifts and talents God has given these kids and we pray that they may one day use them for God’s purposes and for His glory!

At Kingston-Galloway, the kids were given the opportunity to go treetop trekking for the first time. Many were overcome by fear but in the midst of their fear they encouraged each other with God’s promises. One young boy said, “we don’t need to fear because God is always with us, especially when we are scared.” By the last course many of the kids were so overcome with fear that they were crying and praying to God in the treetops. This was one of my highlights of the trip because it showed me that they knew to go to God in prayer in times of need and that they knew that God is faithful in keeping His promises. We pray that our kids may not only learn more about God but that they will come to know Him personally as their Lord and Saviour.

This fall, we are looking forward to welcoming our kids back to our after-school Kids in Community (KIC) and our Education Provided in Community (EPIC tutoring) programs. As a few of our kids have graduated elementary school we are also excited to begin our new Junior/Youth Extreme program (JX/YX). Pray that we may welcome the new kids, youth and families to our programs with open arms and that they will be receptive to hearing the good news of the Gospel. We await in anticipation to see all that God will do in all three of our communities this upcoming school year!