Changed by a Father's Love
»At first, communication wasn't easy because none of us spoke Bulgarian. But with gestures and a lot of creativity, we found ways to understand each other. Day by day, the children's trust grew, and we were able to build relationships. We spent a lot of time with them, played together, and got to show them love. A tangible sense of peace rested over the whole camp. That left a deep impression on me.
Along the way, we realized that some of the children were carrying heavy burdens from their past. One of them was a boy whose father had died a few years earlier. That sadness had stayed with him ever since, and it hit especially hard whenever someone else had a birthday. On the last day of camp, one of the kids celebrated a birthday. His grief broke open again, and he missed his father terribly.
The leaders took time for him and listened. Eventually, he said on his own that he wanted to pray. He asked God if He would become his heavenly Father. It was moving to see this boy find the Father his heart had longed for so deeply. Soon afterward, we could already see a change in him. With several other children, too, we sensed that they went home different from how they had come.«
