THE SETTING: Middle School Camp, Central Florida
THE GROUP: Middle School Guys
THE STUDENT: 8th grader Morgan. 14 years old. He has autism and is high-functioning.
DAY 1/SATURDAY/CABIN TIME AFTER EVENING CLUB
Morgan shares with the group that he has been extremely bullied for his autism all through 6th and 7th grade. He told us that it got to a point where he would just laugh and accept it because there was nothing he could do. It’s not as bad as it used to be now that he is in 8th grade because he has gotten taller and bigger.
Morgan dressed and ready to play Protect Your Leader! He brought a blow up shark for the pool!
DAY 2/SUNDAY/CABIN TIME AFTER EVENING CLUB
The question was, “What is something hard that you have gone through or are still going through today?”.
Morgan is quiet throughout cabin time but speaks up and shares about how he and his little brother were very close. He loved him so much. When he (Morgan) was 10, his little brother (8 years old) went into the hospital for something and while there, contracted pneumonia and passed away.
Morgan shares with us (through some tears) how hard this was on him. He would sleep with his little brother’s teddy bear to feel close to him. He went through grief counseling and a lot of therapy to help deal with it, but he has not fully recovered from losing him.
Each cabin had to have a themed costume during one of the camp activities. Let me introduce you to the SAUCEY NINJAS!!!
DAY 3/MONDAY/AFTER CLUB
The speaker shared the gospel tonight. After his talk, he had all the students go outside and find a space by themselves. They were given an envelope that contained a pencil and a piece of paper and were given 20 minutes to just have alone time with God. The goal was to listen and see what God was trying to say to them. During this time, they could write a letter to God expressing their thoughts and feelings.
At the end of the 20 minutes, music would begin to play. When it did, if a student said YES! to starting their relationship with God, they could yell, “YES!”.
Time ended and the word YES! was heard all around the area. Morgan came and found me and told me that he said YES! to God! He was so excited!
That night at small groups, Morgan and another student shared how they said YES! to God! We celebrated as a group and had a great night just being together as a cabin and then played a game of Protect Your Leader with the entire camp.
Enzo and Morgan were to scared of the Super Swing. So, we hung out and cheered on the rest of our group that did it! And when i say “cheered on”, I mean “laughed at” because they were all scared! HAHA
DAY 4/TUESDAY/FREE TIME
During the week, I had 1-on-1 time with each of the guys in my cabin. Today was Morgan’s day. We went to the Snack Shack and I bought him some ice cream and we just began talking.
The following is part of the conversation between Morgan and me.
Morgan: Can I tell you something?
Me: Of course, man. Always.
Morgan: I didn’t write my letter to God yesterday like we were supposed to.
Me: That’s totally fine. You didn’t have to. That was completely up to you if you wanted to or not.
Morgan: I hope it’s ok, but I wrote it to my little brother instead. I asked him if he was proud of me that I said YES! to God? I miss him so much.
Me (through tears): Morgan, that is 100% okay. And I’m sure that your little brother is not only proud of you, but so happy that you said YES! to God.
Morgan: Are you okay? You’re crying.
Me: I’m more than okay. I’m so proud of you and so excited that you said YES! to God, man!
DAY 5/WEDNESDAY/1/2 DAY OF CAMP AND HEADING BACK TO BASE
Morgan has always been a happy student. He is always smiling and joking around, but there is something different about his happiness and smile today. That’s what saying YES! to God does to you.
We got back to base around 2pm. We said goodbye to Morgan and his siblings that were at camp as well. This wasn’t an “I’ll-see-you-soon- goodbye”. This was a “I-hope-I-get-to-see-you-again-someday-goodbye”, because that Friday (2 days later), Morgan and his family left Florida and PCSed (moved) to a new installation.
This is what happens with our students. We have them for about 1-3 years if we are lucky and then it’s time to go. The window of time is small to share Jesus with them.
You may not have known his name, but you have been praying for Morgan since you became a part of this ministry to military-connected youth. What you do matters.
We took one last photo together with Morgan and his siblings before saying goodbye.
IT MATTERS.
Now it’s time to say a different prayer for Morgan. We pray that he will find friends like he did at Campus Life; friends that will love and accept Morgan for exactly who he is. We pray he will find a place where he can just be himself and not be bullied anymore.
Most importantly, we pray that Morgan will love the God who made him more today than he did yesterday and more tomorrow than he did today.
Morgan said YES! to God.
Remember that you played a part in that.
Blessings,
DALE MACE
Director of Advancement
YFC Military