(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)
Ghana (MNN) – Every summer, thousands of children in the U.S. attend a faith-based summer camp where they sing songs, make new friends and hear the Gospel.
Over in Africa, hundreds of kids will be doing the same. An indigenous ministry in Ghana supported by Christian Aid Mission is putting on a summer camp where children will participate in fun activities, receive three meals a day and most importantly, hear the Gospel message.
“Christian Aid Mission has a longstanding relationship with an indigenous ministry in Ghana,” Christian Aid Mission’s Amie Cotton says. “Ghana is one of the smaller countries on the western side of Africa. There is so much opportunity to share Christ. In that part of the world, Islam is very strong, and Christianity is not. Animism is very strong, so people, and children, especially, have not heard the Word of God or the name of Jesus.
“There are strong believers in Ghana who have seen that meeting tangible needs of camp for children is a wonderful outreach opportunity to share Christ.”
It’s not just the children who are blessed. Cotton says many times, the lessons children learn at the camp end up impacting their parents.
“A lot of children come home and have accepted Christ, and their parents don’t know what to do with that,” Cotton says. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to share their faith with their parents, and we see how so many times children accept the Lord first, then go home and share with their parents, and their parents accept the Lord.”
But the discipleship doesn’t end once the week is over. Cotton says local churches play an important role in helping maintain spiritual growth.
“In Ghana, there are Christian churches and there are opportunities for discipleship,” Cotton says. “These churches band together to offer this camp, and then they are there to continue to disciple these children who have just started a relationship with the Lord and help them grow as a believer, help them get baptized.”
Cotton said last year, over 400 children attended the camp and 268 gave their lives to Christ. This year, they hope for an even bigger success.
“This summer, the team is hoping to bring even more children,” Cotton says. “They’re looking at bringing around 500 for this week-long camp. It’s an evangelistic camp, but they need help to go.”
That’s where you come in. Thirty dollars will cover the entire cost of the camp for one child. Follow this link and look under April 5 to get started.
If giving financially isn’t an option, you can always pray. Cotton asks that you pray that would God move mightily during the summer, leading children to recognize their need for Him and that He would work in their parents’ hearts as well.
