Sometimes when a child approaches us and says, "Guess what I've done!" we worry a little. In the youth tent at the Indiana Conference Camp Meeting, we had "Guess what I've done!" experiences. This year we decided to adopt three outreach projects.

Our first project began on Sunday night and continued throughout the camp meeting week. The young people were told about the needs of children overseas and how the Dress a Child program collects funds and clothing for destitute children. This Florida-based ministry is coordinated by Prints of Hope, an Adventist organization. Ninety percent of diseases that affect children living in third world countries are due to not having shoes to cover their feet. This attributes to the death of one child every 5.2 seconds. For only $6, a child is fully clothed through this program.

During the week, the young people surprised us by running throughout the Indiana Academy campus and asking whomever they encountered for donations. As an adult, this would scare me, but the young people did it freely. To our surprise, these young people came day by day with wadded up money in hand—$73, $93 and so on. God really worked, because the youth group collected $506.25. (Enough to provide clothes and shoes for nearly 85 children!)

The reaction that we received from the young people involved was amazing. McKenzie Wallace told us that the outreach activity that she participated in during camp meeting was "really amazing! Just knowing that I could help put clothes on a child's back is amazing." We simply challenged them, and they surprised us by setting a high bar. There was no fear; they took ownership of the project and met a need.

On Wednesday of camp meeting, we took a bus full of young people to Anderson, Indiana. There, the young people were divided into two groups. One group was taken to a location to help with yard work. The second group volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank where they did one of four things: They assisted at the office; they guided needy people through the Food Bank facility and helped them get some food off of the shelves; they stocked shelves; and they put bags full of food into waiting cars.

One thing that stood out in my mind was the reaction from a Food Bank assistant who came to me and told me that the kids were walking around the building and praying. When the young people delivered bags full of food into waiting cars, they received many smiles, and "Thank-you!" and "God bless you!" remarks from total strangers in need.

People looked not at the youthfulness of our young people, but at the work that they did to bring an end to a need, and therefore 1 Timothy 4:12 rang true: "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity."

Manny Ojeda is the pastor of the Columbus, North Vernon and Seymour churches in Indiana.

Prints of Hope is a member of ASI (www.asiministries.org). If you would like to learn more about the mission opportunities and initiatives offered, visit www.printsofhope.org.