I'm Thankful For My Time On HOPE Youth Corps

I had been studying the Bible for a few months before going on HYC. Over that time, I had been growing in my faith, at things like teen camp, midweeks, and teen devotionals. I had wanted to do HOPE Youth Corps, but didn’t think this summer was the right time. My parents encouraged me to work it out and I’m so glad I did.

There were a lot of things that helped me grow in my walk with God during HOPE Youth Corps. We had devotionals almost every night which were all very helpful for preparing us for what we were doing that day or in the days to come. The fellowship between all of the participants was amazing. I met so many people from all across the country, and a few from Canada and England. I was able to make so many deep friendships with my new family. Because we spent so much time together we truly did become like a family.

While we were on HYC we did a few different service projects. We did some clean up on the streets of North Philadelphia with ODAAT (One Day At A Time). We also did work around Camp Hope For Kids wherever it was needed. But one of the most important things we did during Youth Corps was mentor at risk inner city kids with Camp Miracles. They spend three days with us at camp. We went swimming, went to the waterfront, played gaga ball, basketball, and volleyball. One of the days we even went to the zoo. We tried to give the kids the best week of their lives by showing them how much God loves them, by us loving them wholeheartedly.

All these things helped me grow in my relationship with God and my faith in him. When I got back from HYC I had some great time with the guys that I had been studying the bible with. I was encouraged by how strong my faith had grown, and wanted to respond to all that Jesus had done for me. I got baptized on August 6th! I am so thankful for my time at HYC!