This past summer, two teams of four Houghton students served on Summer Ministry Team, Houghton’s outreach program aimed at middle and high school students. From mid-June to mid-August, the Summer Ministry Teams visited various camps throughout the Northeast, although they also traveled as far as Michigan and Maryland. While their primary goal was to connect with campers and share the message of the Gospel, they often coordinated camp events and represented Houghton College. This involved handing out free T-shirts to campers and speaking with them about their own Houghton experience.
“I did not realize what I was getting myself into,” admits Theresa Patnala ’19, who represented Team Gold. As a native of India who grew up working with children of lower castes, Patnala was eager to participate in a ministry opportunity in the States as well. However, what began as simply a summer job ended as a life-changing experience. Patnala recalls times of spiritual exhaustion as she encountered teens with broken lives.
Chris Henderson ’19, of Team Purple, shares Patnala’s perspective, confessing that “the hardest thing is hearing about all of the terrible things that the kids have to go through. A lot of campers struggled with their home life, their self-image, and a lot of anxiety and depression.” In addition to the spiritual exhaustion, Andrew Sherman ’19, of Team Gold, adds that the SMT was also physically exhausting because “you’re never alone.” Between traveling on days off and constantly working with the campers, SMT often felt like a “24/7 job.”
Despite the physical, spiritual, and emotional demands of SMT, however, Patnala, Henderson, and Sherman all express deep appreciation for having participated, especially in describing how it helped them to grow. Henderson reflects, “On SMT I feel like God reopened my eyes to His goodness and his power to transform the lives of His people. I saw a lot of things left at the altar this summer, and I had a lot of talks with my campers where they opened up for the first time about something, or they decided not to let their past define them anymore. That was moving for me.” Consequently, these emotional and heartbreaking conversations with campers created “a new reliance on God” in Henderson. All SMT members agree that the spiritual growth far outweighed the constant exhaustion.
Patnala’s growth during SMT involved leaving her comfort zone by sharing her testimony that she had rarely told prior to SMT. In addition, she was anxious that her being a person of color would hinder her from connecting with campers. However, when God “broke down walls,” her “personality just came out” because “sharing your testimony brings so much healing.” Although she realized that “we are not the fixers of the world,” there is great value in crying with and praying over campers in order to comfort them.
Sherman shared that there were many “times where I felt like God was affirming me” because God was “preparing me for leadership” and “spiritual disciplines” such as early morning prayer. Sherman was very intentional about “doing the things that I’m recommending other people to do,” stressing the importance of practicing what one preaches.
All three SMT members affirm Houghton College for having given them the opportunity to represent both Jesus Christ and Houghton College. Sherman appreciates that “Houghton has a really good vision for how we can be preparing people to bring Christ into the world,” adding that Houghton’s positive feedback from camp management makes him proud to be a Houghton student. Henderson agrees, saying, “If anyone ever gets the chance to be a part of it, they should absolutely jump at the chance.”