Camp Brought Me a Second Family: Saul's Story

Saul came to Camp Bear Creek from Mexico to work as a counselor for the 2023 and 2024 summers. His favorite part about working at camp was growing in his faith with God, spending time with the kids, meeting a lot of awesome people, and just getting the chance to feel like a kid again!

After his first summer, Saul went home feeling changed. He said, “Last summer, after I went back to Mexico, my home, I shared all of my experiences with my friends at school, my family, and all of the people around me. I shared about worships, about songs, about how I grew in my relationship with God. It was awesome. I just felt like a different person. I started making things different. I started praying and thanking God every day. I also started sharing and trying to light other people’s lives, teaching them some of what we do at camp.” Saul said the people around him could see a difference in him and they wanted to be a part of it. They could sense Saul’s renewed love for God and for life, and they took notice.

When it came time to think about returning to camp for another summer, Saul didn’t hesitate. But this time, he recruited his brother, Leo, to come and join him working as a counselor at camp! Saul said, “It was awesome to see how he experienced the same things I did. It was amazing to see how he grew in his relationship with God and to have someone close to me to share with and to teach him what I experienced at camp. I got to see Leo around kids and improving his English. It makes me feel proud of him. The staff at camp welcomed Leo really well. They made us feel like we were at home and like we had a second family. It was just awesome.”

Reflecting on his two summers, Saul was surprised by how much his English improved from one summer to the next. Saul said, “This summer, I could really tell that I was impacting the lives of campers. I was able to talk with them about my life in Mexico and share with them about how we live there.” He continued, “I’m thankful for camp because camp changed my life. Camp brought me a lot of awesome friends that I will have for the rest of my life. I want to keep in touch with them forever. Camp taught me a lot of things and changed the way I see the world. It showed me life from a different point of view. I felt close to God every day, and that wasn’t just me, but Leo and my family in Mexico as well. Camp made me feel safe and brought me a second family. I will be grateful forever for camp.”