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“You Can’t Touch Moments Like This”

It is not surprising to see kids, who have been coming to camp multiple years, want to serve on summer staff. In fact, that is a hallmark of the impact camp can have on a young person’s life. In 2024, KAA employed 440 summer staff to help facilitate nine weeks of camp for nearly 4,000 campers, and 27% were former KAA campers.  All because groups, like Granny’s house, brings kids summer after summer and then diligently continues to mentor them all year long.

Granny’s House, based in Columbia, MO, has offers a bridge onto life in the larger community outside public housing. It provides loving arms, a safe place to play or do homework, and an atmosphere of hope and calm in an all-too-often chaotic world. For the past 19 years, Granny’s House has brought campers (552 to be exact) to KAA for a life-changing week fun, friends, hope, and Jesus.

“We want to see strong, mature, sold-out believers,” explains Dr. Ellis Ingram (aka “Poppi), who co-founded Granny’s House alongside his late wife, Pam. “They take what they learn at KAA and Granny’s House to the business world and will have a tremendous impact. God will do immeasurably more than they can ever ask or imagine.”

Rute Retta is seeing this revealed in her own life.  She started going to Granny’s House when she was 10 years old and there, Rute shared, experienced a “real sense of the love of Christ.”  Granny’s House brought her to KAA as a camper five years.  The care from two of her counselors Derika and Myra left a deep impression. Rute was amazed at the time, love and effort they took to pour into her.

She also shared that camp taught her what being a Christian looks like and fondly recalls how she loved being with the other campers and supporting them. “KAA brought the love of Christ to life by showing me what true joy looks like,” Rute explained.

Because of her experience as a KAA camper, she wanted to work on KAA summer staff and pour into others, like her counselors did. This past summer she got her wish.  Rute served as a Kitchikomo  (a staff member who serves food to campers and at the dining hall) and as a counselor.

During her time as a counselor, God revealed just how swiftly and mightily he could move.  Before Cross Talk, she and her campers were having a devotional in the cabin. Rute shared that all of sudden one of the girls apologized and asked for forgiveness. Like dominoes, every one of the girls apologized and truly repented. “The beautiful part was seeing the forgiveness fill their hearts and multiply,” Rute shared. “You can’t touch moments like this.”

After camp ended, Rute left to pursue her next chapter. She is attending Drury University majoring in psychology and sociology with plans to become a therapist and one day own her a practice. “The biggest lesson I have learned from camp is to not question how the Holy Spirit will move,” Rute shared. “Even though a week at camp doesn’t seem like a lot, so much can happen.”

God has a plan. It sounds cliché to say sometimes, but as one young man learned at camp His Word is true. (Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”)

Khyser, found out about camp in 2022.  Things were not going well for his family, and camp was a game-changer for him.  He and his three siblings, his mother and grandmother were living in less-than-desirable living quarters, did not have clothes and were financially struggling. Both his mom and grandma were dealing with serious illness that had caused his mom to loser her sight. Home life was tough, so when the opportunity for camp arose, Khyser jumped at it.  KAA was a welcome break for him, but it was more than the activities, food and fun that he enjoyed.  “The last time I came, it changed my life,” Khyser explained. “I learned so much.”

When he returned to his home city of Detroit, circumstances only worsened.  Khyser’s mother became more ill and passed away. His grandmother, fledging to keep it together, lost the house had been living in. Now they were homeless.  Not too long after, his grandmother passed away.  The situation was as dire as one could get.  But Khyser held on to what he had learned that first year at camp. “Usually guys my age will turn to drugs,” he shared, “but I knew God was with me the entire time. I know He saved me. Everything happens for a reason, and this is His story.”

He and his siblings are now living with their dad. When the opportunity to return to KAA again arose, Khyser jumped at it, again!  He wanted the chance to learn more and grow closer to God. This summer, Khyser soaked up everything he possibly could.  His counselors taught him many important things—how to ask God for words, when words fail; how to rest your burdens on Him, how to forgive; how to spend time with God by staying in His word and listening to His voice.

Khyser’s week at KAA was filled to the brim of God’s Word and instruction, love and encouragement from his counselors and cabinmates, and healing moments.  “One week at this camp will change your life,” he shared. “He showed me to keep coming to Him.  Any pain you are feeling can be cured by praying to Him, praising Him ,and talking to Him.”

Praise God for showing up in Khyser’s life at the right moment!

Kids Across America welcomes youth ages 10-19 from across the nation—no matter what their religious background—for a life-changing week at camp. Meet Virat, who attended KAA for the first time this summer. 

Although he was raised Hindu, Virat did not mind the fact that it was a Christian camp. In fact, back home, he attends a Christian School. “My friends at school are Christian, and they shared the Bible with me, but I didn’t care much,” Virat explains. “And my friends at home are Hindu.”

He loved camp! While Virat was not quite ready to try out tubing, he enjoyed riding in the boat.  He dove into as many of the activities as he could and made tons of friends, but the most interesting part of camp to Virat was learning about Jesus.  He shared that even though he attends a Christian school, they do not talk about Jesus much. “But at KAA, it is all the time, everywhere,” he said. “Jesus really felt real to me for the first time.”

Over the course of two days, Virat asked his counselors as many questions as he could to learn more about this man named Jesus, who willingly died for our sins so that we could be free from sin and have eternal life with Him.  Maverick, one of his counselors, recognized Virat’s eagerness to learn and understand and asked Colton and Ryan (formerly an atheist), who were serving on summer staff leadership for help answering his questions.

They chatted for two hours, sharing scripture, and answering every question Virat had.  And, he had a ton!  What is sin? Who is Jesus? Why did He die for our sins?—highly intelligent questions for someone age 12, as Colton recalls.