Erik
Posted on Friday, July 21, 2017 by
Another camp story:
Erik is an 8th grader. He's had a hard time with his mom. She has not been in his life very much due to some poor life choices. As a result, Erik has felt unaccepted and not valued much of his life. This past school year, Erik made some poor choices that got him into continual trouble and made him miss out on a lot of great opportunities. But we (Campus Life) were able to connect with Erik 
through coffee, movies, a bonfire, our overnighter, the Worlds of Fun trip and finally YFCamp in Minnesota. Erik tried so hard to get a friend to go to camp with him, and I even tried to raise money to help one of Erik's friends go.
In the end, Erik came to camp alone. Yet, he did not leave alone. Throughout the week, Erik became good friends with the guys in his cabin. Our group had almost 20 middle school students at camp, and they really bonded through the unique atmosphere and experiences camp provides. Erik discovered the love of friendship and had an awesome glimpse of the great love of Jesus Christ.
When we arrived back in Lincoln Sunday afternoon, the students were all being greeted by their parents. Erik came back on the bus while I was cleaning, and he just stood there. I stopped cleaning, looked back at him, and said, "Hey man, what's up?" Erik came in for a big hug and said, “Thanks. This meant a lot.”
Since our week at camp, Erik and I have had many talks about Jesus’ love and what God has planned for him. Depths of love we'll never fully know. Good plans to prosper and give hope. Erik -- and all of us -- have a lot to be excited about.
Anthony Godtel, Middle School Campus Life
P.S. The day after camp, I received this text message from Erik's mom: "Erik had a great time at camp - talked all about it last night. I am kind of glad he didn't have a friend go with him; it sounded like he really opened up to making new friends. I hope it was a great trip for everyone. Thanks for being there for him!"