We often consider there a danger of being too relaxed when something seems so familiar, to think that without rigorous planning and preparation a mission will not see success. Yet whilst it is right to make sure we are prepared when we set out to do God’s work, it is even more important that we trust that in all circumstances God will always be able to turn the tide and ensure the bearing of great fruit.

At Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church in Norwich, August saw the return of our annual youth camp where the kids and young people join together to have fun, hear God’s word and build each other up. To say I was anxious about the camp would be the truth; there didn’t seem to be as much organisation as the previous year, some decisions hadn’t been made and the number of kids attending was lower than anticipated. But despite all of my reservations, it was an amazing week!

Something that was personally significant for me happened when we tried to get the kids familiar with doing morning devotions. The first day was looking bleak as no one seemed to be coming to the morning sessions, until the most unexpected person turned up. This boy Kingsley was one of the youngest, most boisterous and cheekiest kid at camp, and yet he got his Bible and sat with me to study, share and pray even though all his friends were off playing games. And it didn’t stop there! The next day he brought more people and then more came the day after and this carried on for the rest of the week!

We were very blessed this year at camp, with kids being more confident to serve, growing closer to peers and most importantly to God. There are so many times of uncertainty in our lives where we feel disheartened, but it is so important to rely only on Him and trust that God is fully in control. This is because He can work in unexpected ways even in the most turbulent of times.