The Baptist Digest

Religion was one thing that was never a priority for me, considering my family never went to church. Some would say I was lacking in the faith department. By some miracle, my best friend invited me to Super Summer, a church camp, which is astonishing considering she too was more than lacking in the same department.

“Come on, it’s really fun!  It’s not all about God or whatever. We play really fun games, and Christie and Lauren will be there.” My friend never had to try very hard to convince me to do something, so of course I agreed.

Up until the day I left for Super Summer, I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be. I had let my childhood and my past define who I was as a person.  I was never able to have a real relationship, whether that be love or friendship, because I didn’t know anything about myself. When you don’t know yourself, it’s really hard to love someone else.  I searched for my identity in every place except the one place I would eventually find it. In God.

It’s eleven fifty-six, and a lump is growing in my throat as tears begin to stream from the corners of my eyes. The questions, who am I, why am I here, and what is missing in my life were finally answered.

In an insecure whisper to my friend I said, “I want to be saved. I have to do it right now. I need this in my life; I want to have what all these other girls have.”

“Do you want me to say something?” My friend seemed a bit startled by my statement.

“Please” I said, relieved that the pressure was momentarily off me.

“Hey guys, Rachel just told me that she has just realized that something is missing in her life. She wants to be confident, happy, and she feels the only way to do that is by being saved.”

And that’s all it took. Immediately, ten girls explode from their bunks and run to my bedside. I look into each of their faces, and realize they truly care about me. They aren’t judging me, they’re supporting me.

“Rachel! Oh my goodness, I am so excited! Do you want to do it right now?”  Mari, our room mother, was practically yelling, “I mean don’t feel pressured, but do you want to right now?”

“Um, yeah if we can,” I replied. Considering we were expected to be asleep at midnight, I was expecting a response along the lines of, oh we can do it tomorrow.

I sat down on Mari’s bed with the girls gathered around, each with a hand on me. Mari opened her bible and talked about what it means and looks like to be a follower of Christ, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“God spoke to you this week Rachel. You are meant to be here. You have overcome the various obstacles in your life and you are now at the point where you know what is missing.” Mari’s words stirred emotions in me that I didn’t know I had. I felt joy, relief, sadness, forgiveness, anger, love, and most of all, I felt saved.

It was then, July 7th 2009 at midnight, that I accepted God into my life. I openly confessed my need for him, and I finally felt the weight that I’d been carrying around lifted off my shoulders. God had been moving so much in my heart, during sermons, during prayer, and even during game times. Every aspect of Super Summer reminded me how much God loved me and how special I actually am, no matter what others had told me in the past.

I went to camp with a selfish teenage point of view on life and one friend, who ultimately let me down in the end. But I left camp with the most amazing and supportive friends I could ever ask for, and a confidence like I’ve never experienced. My view on life is still that of a teenager, but is less about me and more about God.