FBC Starkville Spring Break Camp in Marks, MS

“Year 7 was one for the books. I have had the joy of leading the Marks Spring Break Camp for the past 7 years, and this year was one of the sweetest to be a part of. Every year, The Village works daily with kids and families in Marks, planting seeds and showing the love of Jesus so well. It is an honor to come alongside them once a year to do this camp. FBC Starkville had an all-star team, and it was a joy to watch them operate alongside teachers and others who work for Reclaimed.

During the day, our team leads a camp for kids, anywhere from the age of 2 all the way up to 18. Once camp is over, our team breaks up into groups and goes door to door, asking people if we can pray for them, in hopes that this leads to a Gospel conversation. Our first ever salvation last year, a now 6th grader, would stay after camp was over, wanting to go door to door with our team and pray over his community. It was so beautiful to see the spiritual growth that he has had over the course of the past year, and how excited he was to share that joy with his community. That inspired our entire team so much to go back to our community with that same joy.

We had FOUR teenage salvations this year, praise God! Three of the four teenagers that came to know Christ had been a part of Kids Club over the years. To see how much they have been impacted from the work that the Village has done was incredible. Our leaders were able to take that work where seeds have already been planted and pour into these kids for 4 days straight. My personal favorite part of watching this unfold with the teenagers was their desire to be poured into and learn more about who Jesus was rather than just coming to a camp to play ball. Teens chose to sit and have long conversations with their leaders, and there was a genuine desire to learn more about the love of God!

I got to sit in on one of the conversations throughout the week. A teen told his leader that he understands and believes in Jesus and what He did for us, but he didn’t feel as though he deserved to know Christ because of his past. It was such a beautiful moment for that leader to be able to say to him that none of us deserve the love of God. Every one of us is a sinner, we all have a past, we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But God, being rich in mercy, loved us so much that He send His Son to die for us.

That moment of getting to see his leader relate with him was one that I will never forget, and it reminded me of why we continue to come back year after year to partner with Reclaimed. Showing up for people matters, being present in the lives of others is so important. When darkness surrounds you and it feels as if no one is there, to have the opportunity to point someone to Jesus and tell them that they are never alone is such a privilege. FBC is so blessed to continue their partnership with Reclaimed, and if something as small as a one week day camp with kids can impact the life of even one’s eternity, it is worth every bit of exhaustion we feel at the end of the week. We are excited to continue to see the impact that Reclaimed Project has in the town of Marks, MS, and we are so blessed to play a very small role in that. “

-Blaire Johnston