SWMN FCA hosted 257 campers, 80 huddle leaders (high school and college kids), 19 coaches, and 55 volunteers from across Southwest Minnesota at Jr. Sports Camp this year. Wow! We are blown away by God's faithfulness to provide campers, coaches, and volunteers for this event year after year. Praise the Lord for 13 years of FCA Camp here in Southwest MN! Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and your prayers.

Camps are full of stories, each one special to the camper, but this story is special to the volunteer too. Sydney K. attends Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, is studying Healthcare Communication, and served as a huddle leader at Jr. Sports Camp (JSC) this year.

Sydney grew up in Marshall and attended a few FCA Camps as a kid but didn't become fully involved until her freshman year of high school. She attended Tuesday morning FCA huddle gatherings and participated in several FCA sponsored activities. Over the years, FCA made an incredible impact on Sydney and her faith. In fact, it was at FCA Leadership Camp in North Carolina where Sydney gave her life to Christ. When asked to come back home to help with JSC it was an easy "yes." Here's what Sydney had to say about camp...

Being a huddle leader opens up beautiful opportunities to share the love of Christ with others. 1 Peter 3:15 reads, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." What an honor to share my love of Jesus and my personal testimony with kids in Southwest Minnesota.

There was definitely some nervousness on my behalf leading up to JSC. My biggest concern was how the campers would react to hearing the Gospel. Being trusted with the opportunity to plant seeds of Christ in the campers' lives is incredibly humbling and I wanted to make sure Jesus was at the forefront of everything I said and did.

I have been a huddle leader at JSC for the past four years, but this was the first year I had one of my campers give her life to Christ and it was awesome!

After worship and hearing the message given by Pastor Brian Rock, one of my campers pulled me aside and told me that she said the prayer Pastor Brian told us to say in our heart if we were ready to accept Christ into our lives. She was ready for a personal relationship with Jesus.

I was both shocked and incredibly proud! I just hugged her and talked about what that prayer meant for her life moving forward. Seeing her so excited to jump into a relationship with Christ made it easy for me to pray over her and encourage her.

In recounting the events of the day and this special moment, I am reminded of God's faithfulness to provide, His persistent pursuit of our hearts, and His tender love and care for each of His children.

In the weeks and months leading up to camp huddle leaders are encouraged to pray for the campers. God showed me answered prayer in my camper this year! This experience brought me full circle, right back to when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior at an FCA Camp. God gave me time to dive into my own relationship with Him, to grow my faith, and to be equipped and empowered to encourage this camper in this moment!

Our prayers matter; they change lives. I'm so grateful for my camper's newfound relationship with Christ and that the Lord allowed me to be a witness. This moment of time will be with me forever. God heard my prayers and showed me that He can do anything with anyone at anytime. -Sydney K., JSC Huddle Leader

Volunteer at JSC, it's a beautiful way to serve and a great way to

engage, equip, and empower kids in the name of Jesus!

Camper Comments:

"I loved learing about Jesus and making friends." -11 year old boy

"My favorite part of camp was worship!" -multiple campers

"This camp is amazing!" -10 year old boy

"I would like to have more worship time and a longer camp!" -13 year old girl

"I enjoyed quiet time with my Bible. I only wish it was longer." -12 year old boy

"Pastor Brian Rock was my favorite." -11 year old girl

"I loved huddle time!" -10 year old girl

"I want to be as close to Jesus as possible!" -12 year old girl

Volunteer Comments:

"I think I may have needed this camp more than these kids. I’ve already messaged my people back home that they need to do Jr. Sports Camp next year! Life has been extra challenging lately and Jr. Sports Camp gave me a full day to pray, be prayed for, and to smile for the gifts we have been given, even when times are tough." -Jen S., Softball Coach 

"It was a great day! I'm glad lives were impacted for Jesus!" -Tricia F., JSC Volunteer

"This was my first year as a huddle leader and I was encouraged to see these young campers pursuing Jesus. I am so thankful that I got to be part of Jr. Sports Camp and pray all the campers continue to grow in their faith." -Bailynn P., Huddle Leader

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

FCA SUMMER CAMPS 2024

• 8/1-8/4: Northland FCA LEADership Camp for athletes entering 9-12th grade at University of Northwestern, St. Paul (register using the link below)

If you're not currently giving to Southwest MN FCA and would like

to be added to our team, please click the QR code above to donate!

Your support is greatly appreciated.

 ROBIN KNUDSON rknudson@fca.org

SW MN Area Director

WENDY GRAVEN  wgraven@fca.org

SW MN Administrative Assistant