The Benefit of a Broken Heart
Why does Echo Ranch exist? Why would counselors and staff give up their time and talents to spend 3-6 months in Southeast Alaska? There is only one reason and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the end of the summer when the last dodge ball has been thrown and the last sleeping bag has been loaded onto the luggage truck, the gospel is the reason for it all.
When the counselors first arrive they are taken back by beauty of Alaska. Snow capped mountains, the ocean front property, glaciers, waters falls, and all the wildlife. For many this is the furthest away from home they have ever been. There is also the opportunity to make new friends and form lasting relationships. But as the summer progresses a deeper reality sets in.
There are children coming to this camp who are in desperate need of Jesus Christ in their lives. It’s not that the counselors didn’t notice this after the first week of camp. But there is a point when the counselor realizes how important the work of Echo Ranch and spreading the gospel is. Their hearts are broken by the horror stories of where some of these kids come from and the effects of sin in their young lives.
Typically on the last day of camp there is a sigh of relief seeing the campers head back to town. But when suddenly you hear counselors make comments of not wanting their kids to leave, this is when a transformation has taken place in a counselor’s life. When the counselor’s heart is so broken not only for the bad homes of campers but also for those who leave Echo Ranch unsaved, that is a powerful statement about what God is doing here.
The biggest challenge is to then send those kids back into the world and trust in God that he is the one who will guide and protect them. We have to realize that these kids weren’t really ours to begin with and that God is in control. A counselor has fully experienced Echo Ranch and the power of the gospel when they can say a prayer releasing their campers back into the loving arms of our savior Jesus Christ. This is the benefit of a broken heart.
Please pray for these counselors as they seek to adjust back into the life they left behind at the beginning of the summer. And if you are someone you know might be interested in serving at Echo Ranch please contact me by email at jonmichael@discoverechoranch.com. We are looking for counselors for the summer of 2009.