I will never forget the most unfortunate KidsFest experience I ever had.

During high school leadership training, we are taught to conversate with children at eye level, especially when talking about behavior. I remember one particular difficult child I had in one of my groups. He would often run away from the group, especially during club in the gym. He would then jump onto another leader and climb up like a set of monkey bars.

I do not remember which leader he specifically gravitated towards, but after about a dozen recoveries, I remember getting down on a knee to talk to him in the loud and crowded gym. As soon as my eye level matched his, he spit in my face and then ran away. I remember feeling defeated and unequipped to control and lead all the children that came my way.

When thinking about KidsFest, many fun and exciting things come to mind. Maybe it’s the waterslides, the unreal energy during club, or even just the hundreds of kids we have the opportunity to share the gospel with. It can be agreed that nothing quite compares to KidsFest.

KidsFest is a pillar of student ministry at Orchard Hill and consistently brings new people into the church who may have never stepped foot inside the church without it. Thinking about my own experience, I started out in the KidsFest daycare. I remember KidsFest in the trailer behind the church. I remember KidsFest in the old chapel. And now, I remember KidsFest with stations to limit the spread of a worldwide virus.

Regardless of the circumstances of any specific year, the purpose of KidsFest remains the same, to share the gospel with every person involved.

From the loud clubs to free choice activities and water days, the best memories for me from KidsFest were conversations and fun memories with my leaders. The influence leaders have on these campers should not be undervalued. One of the beautiful things about this influence is seeing it come full circle.

These campers who walk away with a positive experience of KidsFest will return as campers and the oldest ones will move onto middle school serve. From here, these middle schoolers will first experience student ministry. These middle schoolers tell their friends and they become high school leaders. These high school leaders then have the same influence and earn the privilege of sharing the gospel with their campers.

From here, these high schoolers move onto the next stage of their life. Many having their lives significantly changed by the work God does through KidsFest every year.

All of this to say, it is so easy to become caught in the stress and tedious technicalities of KidsFest. From twenty-five-minute discussions of cooler positions to operations scrubbing the water slides that developed an unusual smell after not being touched for a year, to the admin team handling fictitious amounts of clearances and paperwork, to the payroll team that doubles their staff size for a couple weeks every summer, KidsFest requires a lot of work.

During the planning process of KidsFest and even during the hot summer days, it becomes increasingly easy to lose sight of the mission and value of KidsFest.

In these tough moments, remember the purpose of KidsFest. When you have frustrating conversations with parents, or when a child spits in your face, or when you feel like nobody is working as hard as you, remember that our God is holy and just and has a perfect plan for KidsFest and everything and every person involved in it.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. – Psalm 33:11