For Amanda Desmarais, sending her children to 4th & 5th Grade Camp has given her kids the chance to experience God in a new way and realize that following Jesus is something they have to choose for themselves. Watching them take those first steps of faith has reminded Amanda of her own journey and why she’s so passionate about helping her children know Christ personally.
Amanda knows what it’s like to grow up attending church without truly knowing Christ. It wasn’t until she was in college—while studying abroad in Paris and reading Scripture for herself—that she realized she had never had a personal relationship with Jesus.
“That’s where the Holy Spirit convicted me that I had no relationship with Him,” Amanda said.
That experience shaped the way she and her husband have raised their four children.
“We’ve always wanted our kids to know what the Bible says and go to God’s Word for answers,” Amanda said. “Our faith has always been the center of our family.”
So when their youngest daughter, Hannah, attended 4th & 5th Grade Camp last year, Amanda knew camp wasn’t introducing Hannah to Jesus for the first time. What she prayed for was that it would help Hannah’s faith become her own.
“I think camp is that first time where they spend several days just digging into God’s Word,” Amanda said. “They’re consistently spending time with friends and leaders, talking about what God is teaching them and seeking Him together.”
Amanda said she can see that those few days Hannah spent away at camp have made a lasting difference in her, one that has shaped how Hannah has approached her faith ever since.
“It taught Hannah a greater independence in her faith,” Amanda said. “She’s learned how to open God’s Word herself and hear from the Lord.”
As a parent, Amanda said camp reinforces the biblical foundation that families are already building at home.
“We can say the same things over and over,” she said, “but kids need to hear it from other people too—leaders they respect and friends who are following Jesus.”
Looking back after watching all four of her children attend 4th & 5th Grade Camp, Amanda said the investment has always been worth it. If she could encourage a student who feels nervous about going to camp, her message would be simple: “You need to go. We never grow in our comfort zone.”
Amanda said she hopes every student leaves camp with a deeper confidence that following Jesus is a decision they can make for themselves.
“It’s that first stepping stone toward owning their faith,” Amanda said. “That’s a really big deal.”
Amanda knows she can’t make the decision to follow Jesus for her children. But she’s grateful for a church that faithfully comes alongside her family, reinforcing what they’re teaching at home and creating opportunities for her children to grow in their faith. Because, while a parent’s role is to point their children to Christ, Amanda has seen how God uses people like Life Group leaders and Christian friends and places like camp to help the truth of the Gospel take deeper root in kids’ hearts.
Every week, kids and students at Bellevue are discovering who God made them to be. See how Bellevue is pouring into the next generation at bellevue.org/next-gen.