Baby Steps

You’d never know it now, but when Nia arrived at camp, she was completely shut down. Bangs covering her face and shoulders slumped, no amount of encouragement could coax her out of that shell. Her silent message was, “Don’t come near me. Leave me alone.”

At RFKC, we see young campers show up in this condition, and then slowly, step-by-step, the transformation happens.

With Nia, the first small change came about when a fellow camper shared her talent for braiding hair. Soon all the girls were lined up, waiting for their chance to have their hair fixed. Nia slowly joined in. Once her hair was pulled back, it was like a curtain was lifted.

The next change came during Chapel. While other campers were fully engaged with praise, Nia sat back, arms crossed and feet propped on the seat in front of her. “Hey, if you’re standing up and singing, you may get chosen to help on stage,” counselor Jayce suggested. Nia popped up and began giving it all she had.

Next, and probably the pinnacle of Nia’s week, happened the next day in Chapel. She was chosen to help lead a song! She sang and danced with gusto.

Planting seeds is what we’re all about at RFKC. Our prayer is that the growth we see here will continue to escalate, even after the children leave us.