One night, I went to a girls’ cabin to say goodnight, and their cabin leader told me that four of them had decided to follow Jesus that evening, and she asked if I could stay and pray for all the girls in the cabin. Their requests were heart-wrenching, particularly the number of their parents mired in addiction. It struck me that unlike people with more privilege, Jesus really is these girls’ only hope. I continue to pray regularly for the girls and their families.

In between sessions, I would often see pairs of students praying with one another or in deep conversations about the scripture passages they had ben studying. Each evening, I also led the whole Spring Camp community in the prayer of examen. This was a moment at the end of each day, to pause and listen, inviting students to pay attention to where they noticed God’s presence and leading throughout the day. It was incredible to see how the boisterous dining hall quieted down to silence for these few minutes every day.

My cabin had established a daily ritual of sitting at the dock before bedtime, soaking up the sun, and sharing stories. Most nights we also found a frog lurking about which brought much excitement. For cabin night it seemed natural to continue our routine and to take a voyager canoe out to the island at sunset. At the island I took the girls to a tiny clearing amongst the dense trees; I set down a tarp and we all sat in a circle. One of my campers shared about her up-bringing, which was intense and wild. The sun was disappearing fast, and after a good 30 minutes on the island, I knew it was time to head back. The moon shone down as we paddled back to the dock. We started chanting “paddle!” and in no time we were back at the camp. Through these moments of vulnerability in creation, I hope each camper felt a stirring in their heart, a sense of God’s spirit.

One [girl camper] asked me why I follow Jesus and “why is it worth it”? So, I used some of the tools from the [coaching] zoom calls for sharing the gospel and I saw God start to soften her heart. She opened up about some of her struggles at home and how she has tried everything to get her out of this dark tunnel. I asked her “Well, have you tried Jesus? Would you want to give Him a try?” and she agreed. So, we prayed together, and she accepted Jesus into her heart. I asked her how she was after, and she told me that she felt a little better. I then told her that being a Christian doesn’t make life 100% better. We will still go through tough things, but we are not alone when we go through them.

In May we had our inductive manuscript Scripture Camp. As we gathered to see how God is present in the whole arc of the Bible, God showed up in many ways.

My role was to lead prayer ministry with students during the breaks and free times. Students were ready not only to receive, but also open to give. So, we had students who wanted to learn how to lead prayer ministry, and in a day with a longer break I led a quick training. Students wanted to learn and know more of God. They decided to wake up early at 7 am and start the day with prayer and worship. It was incredible to see students change with the presence of God, stripping down every shame and bondage, seeking His healing and wisdom.

I did not expect myself to fall into leadership roles so quickly but God showed me where my knowledge in the Bible and foundation in faith were needed in InterVarsity: during bible studies, learning to articulate and convey the Bible in ways to people who are unfamiliar with it, using my heart for community (specifically with peers) and skills in planning events to deepen and strengthen friendships within InterVarsity. Even taking the initiative to begin Alpha on campus.

I have encountered God as I’ve learned to lean on him through the past months. I learned that I have limits in articulating my faith, but I really enjoy having these kinds of deep conversations, and more people are willing to have them than I realized. So, bringing people to InterVarsity bible studies, regardless of their faith experience, has been a real joy for me.

I met Tadi almost two years ago when I spoke at a Spruce Woods staff reunion. He has grown so much in leadership during the two years I’ve known him. This summer, he led Bible studies during activity electives in the afternoons, and quite a few campers opted to interact with God’s Word rather than swim or play sports. Tadi is growing as a compelling Bible teacher and evangelist!

One awesome event at Scripture Camp was International Dinner night. Aimee, the retreat director, asked if the camp could allow some of our students to help cook supper one night. A couple of students from Saint John volunteered to help. They wanted to cook Jollof Rice, a dish from Nigeria and Ghana. Jerk Chicken was also served with it. It was such a blessing to see students and camp staff work together to cook these dishes for a large group. It was so good too!

Something that is striking with Revelation is that every tribe and every nation will be worshiping our LORD. We were able to experience a piece of that at this camp in our musical worship, but we got to experience it in the food we ate, as well.

One week this summer I had the opportunity to be a one-on-one leader during rec swim for a camper who is blind. This was her first time at camp and staff members helped her navigate around camp property and helped to integrate her into the usual activities. It was really cool to share with her in the excitement and joy of camp for the first time. Because I’ve been going to camp for as long as I can remember, it was really cool to experience camp in a different way, as we used our other senses to participate in the swimming games/activities. Another thing that stuck out to me was how the other girls naturally went out of their way to include her. During a nature walk, as campers were finding cool rocks and bugs, each of them would excitedly show the group and without hesitation ask this camper if she’d like to feel what they’d found. This interaction reminded me of the Kingdom of God; how there is a seat at the table for everyone and no matter each of our abilities or experiences, we are welcomed into His family with open arms.

I remember speaking with a grad student who said that she can write about evolutionary biology for her course work, but privately she doesn’t believe in it. Perhaps many Christian students feel this way, but it shows a disconnect or fragmentation within one’s vocation. Bringing together faith and study is a vital part of graduate ministry, so that students can feel rock-solid confidence that their studies are part of God’s redemptive plan for the world. As graduate ministry grows across Canada, we’re committed to helping graduate students lead the way in thinking Christianly about their research.

At a grad retreat this year, we got to celebrate the conversion of a student from East Asia who had been around the group for a few years, attending bible studies. It was also a joy to be with students from a different closed country in Asia, one of whom was formerly the Gen Sec of the IFES movement there. These Christians are fired up to share the faith with other students of their ethnic background studying in Vancouver, especially as it is illegal to convert to Christianity in their home country.

A university professor studying abroad has been studying the Bible with us for some time and has returned to their home country as a serious seeker. But because their country’s Christian communities are worried about government spies, they were hesitant to welcome them. For the time being, Bible studies will continue over the internet until God reveals a mutually safe community.

We were on campus inviting students to an evening discussion group on the topic of value and where we can find our value. We walked around, prayed for the campuses and students and invited them to join us for some free pizza and convo. Five students joined us that evening, some believers, some not, and all were interested in meeting again for bible study the following week.

During our last day in the city [on a short-term mission with American colleagues] we decided to do some outreach in a popular spot where high school and university students hang out. This small island near campus is known as a place to drink, get high and just chill out. We brought a huge piece of digital art with us, called The Story Project, depicting the life and ministry of Jesus and asked students what they thought about the piece. We had many interesting conversations and invited them to join us at an event in the evening called “Who Am I” put on by a ministry called Stieger. To our surprise two of the young men we talked to showed up. They both identify as humanists and atheist but had an amazing time and were very interested in coming to the next meeting and one of them wants to check out our university student bible study as well.