Stories from CEF

Graycee has been attending camp at Blueberry for two years, and Mary has been coming for almost 5. At the young ages of 10 and 13 respectively, both are already beginning to help out around the camp as staff during Arctic Blast weekends in the winter. “We’re setting the tables and cleaning them.” Gracie discusses her favorite winter activities. “It’s either between sledding and the night games that we play. There’s Mission Impopsicle, and sledding and ice skating.” They have both loved the opportunities to grow in Christ. Gracie says, “We had a pastor one week in the summertime, and we were talking about the fruits of the spirit and how they really related to the parts of a tractor. It really helped me understand what the fruits of the spirit are.”

Both Ian and Keenan are involved with the Junior Leadership program in Central Maine. Keenan has been involved for the past two years, and Ian has been involved ever since he can remember, as his father is the regional director. Ian says, “We have been starting to do groups, where we take some of the kids and talk to them how their weeks been going and stuff, and we do a review, and other things to help out.” There are about 10-20 in their Good News Club. Keenan tells how he got involved. “I heard about it about two years ago, and saw it in my mailbox in my classroom.“ He has since become an integral part of the leadership program and enjoys being involved. When asked how it has changed him, Ian says, “For me, it’s like my everyday life, I feel like it’s an everyday thing, but to see other people come and say, whoa! You know, seeing it how they see it.”

“I’m a Good News Club leader. We’re in our sixth year. My wife and I met at a Camp Good News in New Hampshire, so we loved CEF, and actually in college we were fairly confident we were going to make a full time ministry of CEF. She and I both taught five day clubs and good news clubs before we met.” However, God called him to the pastorate in Tremont, Maine. “We said, where are the kids? Well, they’re in school. So we have to go into the schools. I have one little boy who just started coming this year. Never heard the Gospel. And it’s so cool to be the first ones to tell them!” He then tells me a bit more about where he lives. “There’s about 8500 people on our island. Of that 8500 only 5% go to any Gospel preaching church at all. If you put all of us in a room, that’s about 200 out of 8500. It’s just wide open. We don’t have to go anywhere to fulfill the Great Commission. Jessie (Director of CEF of Eastern Maine) offers us the tools we need to reach those whom God has called us to. So she’s helping to build our church.”

“I’ve grown up at Camp Good News. I’ve been here since I was in my mother’s womb, as she likes to say. I just did College Bound for the first time last year. I could tell God was calling me to be here in some capacity all summer, not just one week.” She shared that one week she had a specific camper that, on the surface, didn’t seem to have any major struggles. “Then right after chapel, she comes up and [says] she’s struggling, and it was something you do not expect a ten year old to tell you that they’re struggling with. And at that moment it was like, ‘Ok, this is what kids are dealing with today.’ And I need to know how to respond with love. I was able to talk to her multiple times in the week, and by the end of the week you could see a difference.” Those are the moments we are here for, and Kiersten is excited to have the Lord use her in them!