Written by Annika
A few weeks ago at our banquet, we asked for prayers for our Young Life fall weekend. We had bold prayers to fill our vehicles. Thanks to your prayers and the Lord's faithfulness, we had to rent not one but TWO 12-passenger vans in order to bring up the almost thirty high school students that signed up. This was more kids than our past two fall weekends combined.
The excitement was palpable as we pulled up to Timberwolf Young Life camp, many of the kids having never been to Young Life camp before. After dropping stuff off at our cabins, we dove right in for our first club. The energy was high, from singing and dancing to cheering for a few of our students called on stage for a game. Soon it was time to hear from our camp speaker, Kate Bareman. Kate introduced herself and shared with us parts of her story throughout the weekend - growing up biracial with a single mom, her complicated relationship with her dad, getting pregnant in high school, struggling to make ends meet, learning what her value and worth is, finding Christ, meeting and marrying a Godly man, getting her Masters after never having received a college degree, and finding her dream job of being Associate Director of Student Life at Western Theological Seminary.
Our students, especially our girls, were dialed in every time Kate spoke, as they could see themselves in various parts of her story. I approached Kate and asked if she would be willing to sit down and talk specifically with the Kentwood girls. She eagerly agreed, and we made plans to meet in the coffee shop right after lunch.
We settled in the couches and chairs in the coffee shop, and the girls were quiet at first, but Kate jumped right in and asked them all to introduce themselves and tell her about them. She learned every name and intentionally addressed them and spoke life into them. The questions started out simple - connections being made about similarities in their stories like being biracial and struggling to fit in, having many step siblings with one father, and attending alternative high school. As time went on, the questions progressed to tough life questions like "how do I move on from unhealthy relationships?" and "how do I break the cycle of struggle and broken families?" Kate emboldened the girls to see their value and to not settle for anything less. She also was a tangible example of how one's past does not need to define their future - that they have what it takes to change their trajectory, have healthy relationships and financial security. There was laughter, tears, and revelations. We sat there for almost two hours, and even though it was free-time, there was no rush to get to the next thing; just the beautiful peace that comes from being in a space where one is heard and understood, fully known and fully loved.
This experience is one of the most powerful camp experiences I have ever had. What made it even more impactful is knowing the backstory. This year, Jake was one of the co-directors for fall weekend. This means he was involved in staffing the weekend, including selecting the camp speaker. Jake and the other director Kyle began inviting people to be the camp speaker, and for various reasons, they were getting one "no" after another. It was very discouraging and there was a moment when Jake and Kyle were worried they would have to be the speaker. The fact that all those "no's" needed to happen to get to Kate's "yes," feels like divine intervention. She was the speaker for this specific weekend, for every student there, but especially the Kentwood girls.
At the end of the weekend, I asked each girl what was their favorite part of the weekend. The girls had rode the big swing, raced each other on the go carts, participated in games at club, and enjoyed the big cookie dessert, but every single one of them said the same thing; their favorite part of the weekend was the time they spent with Kate in the coffee shop.
At our final club, Kate encouraged us that God has distinctly equipped each of us to share his love with others. She had us put our finger on ink and stamp a paper with our unique fingerprint, next to the words reminding us that "YOU were made on purpose, for a purpose. YOUR hands bear witness to what you know and what you were meant to share with the world." What a beautiful message to carry home with us.
Thank you to all who support our ministry and the life-changing experiences that happen at camp!
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