by Samuel Lee
It all started with a message that went along the lines of “Hi Samuel, would you be ok with being the logs IC for Children’s Camp 2017?” My initial reaction was shock, followed by that of denial and then finally, acceptance. I could not believe that I, of all people, was being asked to serve as logistics-in-charge for a Children’s camp. I even asked God, “Why me? I mean I can’t even take care of myself and you want me to care for the needs of 70+ hungry kids?” But I didn’t get an immediate answer. However, after asking around, I decided that since God had opened the door and I needed to plan a church activity to pass LEAP, why not?
I plunged headfirst into the planning of the camp alongside the committee. Pretty soon, a camp that seemed months away became weeks away, then days away and finally, D-Day. Truth be told, I don’t recall much of the camp as it was a whirlwind of activities for me. From helping to ensure the food came on time, to preparing meals throughout the day, on top of whatever miscellaneous activities I was in-charge of, left me little time to observe the camp and the kids.
However, on the second day, I managed to sneak into one of the sessions midway to observe the children. It was at the point in the session where the speaker was asking for a volunteer to go up on stage. Immediately all the kids quietened down and looked at each other, waiting for the one brave soul to stand up and volunteer. A full 30 seconds passed without a child raising up their hands despite the encouragement from the camp parents to volunteer. Suddenly, I saw a young boy slowly raised his hand, stood up and walked forward towards the speaker. Call it what you may, perhaps he stood up because he wanted to impress everyone else or perhaps it was the encouragement from the camp speaker and the camp parents that gave him the courage to volunteer. However, I choose to believe that it was his child-like faith and a desire to please God that drove him to stand up and volunteer. Instances such as these, along with all the help and support that I received along the way, reminded me of why and who I serve. The experience of planning the camp and interacting with the kids really showed me that God doesn’t call the qualified but qualifies the call. All we need to do is to answer it with childlike faith and trust in His plans for us.
This article first appeared in Issue 18, July 2018 CHORUS Magazine.