Camp Buddy

Camp Buddy 2025 brought together the children of missionaries serving across Southeast Asia. Some live in urban centers, while others are from remote areas. For these children, the opportunity to attend camp is a significant blessing.

Our theme for camp was “Keys to Life.” We discussed the treasures God offers His children, who have the keys to open the treasure chest: the Bible, holiness, devotion, love, and faith.

Students chose activities each day, ranging from board games to outdoor sports, crafts to hiking. They also had opportunities to participate in worship by leading music and drama.

Each day ended with a special adventure and fellowship time, such as a scavenger hunt, “Mission Impossible” game, and line dancing.

Hear from some of the kids who attended this year’s camp:

• “It was fund and exciting, being my first time to go to Camp Buddy, seeing old friends and making new friends, all while memorizing Bible verses and learning more about God. I was also able to enjoy and take home some American snacks and candy, and even make some crafts. Thank you!”
• “I don’t want to just stand in the shadow of my parent’s ministry. I want to wholeheartedly participate.”
• “God convicted me that I need to step up when my friends are doing something that isn’t glorifying to the Lord. Ususally, I just keep quiet and I don’t join in, but I also don’t say anything. God wants me to speak up.”
• “It was wonderful for our families to be a part of an environment with like-minded people. It was also great to be encouraged and challenged by God’s Word, have fun, and enjoy some time away in a beautiful area. Thank you!”
• “The experience we had at Camp Buddy enabled us to continue serving and having fun at the same time, [recognizing] we do ministry [together] as a family of Christ.”

God is working in these students’ lives. Your generosity makes it possible for these kids to come together from across the region to worship and grow in Christ. Thank you for giving and praying for our missionaries’ children!

Thank you so much for your generosity to this ministry and the Southeast Asian missionary kids, also known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs) we serve. Your prayers and sacrificial giving underwrite an annual camp that brings these kids together, taking them outside of their world for a week to hear what God is doing in their friends’ lives, drink deeply from daily teaching in God’s Word, and participate in corporate worship, something most of them do not experience often.

FORGIVEN! This year, we had a fabulous camp with 67 campers in third through twelfth grades and 27 aunts and uncles gathered to focus on the life of King Saul. As we looked at his life, we refuted these three lies:

• My sin is not that bad.
• My sin is not my fault.
• I’m too far gone.

God used Camp Buddy to call many campers to deeper relationships with Him. As always, TCKs and adults alike enjoyed the time together and left encouraged and revived.

Time and time again, we hear of how Camp Buddy has changed the lives of campers and their whole families. Hear from a family impacted by your generosity:

Sara* (mom of two Camp Buddy campers): “When I met my kids at the airport on the last day of camp, they were totally pumped and couldn’t say enough about how awesome the week was. At first, it was all about sports and outdoor games. Then I heard stories of roommate antics and how they connected with various ‘aunts and uncles’ who were counselors. Eventually, the ‘meat’ started to come out—about the speakers and testimonies as well as powerful worship times. This was literally the first time that I heard my children speak of how Bible teaching and worship had been impactful for them. Normally, they tag along to church services or other meetings where speakers focus on reaching a primarily adult audience, and they ‘tolerate’ the times but don’t have much to say about them. But this time, the message was specifically directed at them—and delivered by an adult TCK himself! Honestly, hearing from my child that one of the favorite parts of the week was the spontaneous worship time shocked me, but at the same time, it brought me such joy! Finally, this event ministered specifically to my most treasured souls, my own kids. Of course, my husband and I strive to disciple and lead our kids at home and provide opportunities and resources for them to grow in their faith, but this was an event where they felt the freedom and safety to just be themselves with a bunch of other missionaries’ kids (MKs) and really focus on meeting Jesus. There is truly something really extraordinary about how Camp Buddy is run, and even the fact that it is all ‘in-house.’ Even the counselors are aunts and uncles who genuinely love and understand our kids because they live among them in our places of service. I pray that we can prioritize Camp Buddy and other similar events. I believe they will be milestones in our kids’ journeys of faith and in discovering their identities as MKs and authentic followers of Christ.

We are so thankful for you, our partners, who have made Camp Buddy possible. There are so many ripple effects from this we will never know this side of heaven. Your sacrificial gifts and intercession are truly transforming lives as we partner together to solve the world’s greatest problem, lostness.

*Name changed.

Your generosity to this strategic fund enabled children of missionaries living in Southeast Asia to attend Camp Buddy last week. Many of these kids live in remote areas with little interaction with other TCKs. Because of your partnership, these children came together for corporate worship, daily teaching, and the opportunity to hear what God is doing in others’ lives. Thank you so much for making this event possible! Here are some testimonies from kids who attended.

• Counselor—Five campers gave their lives to Jesus! Their lives will never be the same!
• Girl, 12—At Camp, I made a commitment that I want to be a missionary.
• Girl, 11—I liked the message about having a soft heart when you are stressed.
• Boy, 18—It was good to get to worship with kids our age after three years of not being able to do that.
• Boy, 11—I like the free time because we got to go on slides and play Gaga ball.
• Boy, 17—I like that we are able to hang out with people we’ve grown up with.
• Girl, 17—You don’t realize how big an impact our Camp Buddy friends have on our lives until we get older and reconnect year after year.
• Mom—The investment that the missionary “aunts” and “uncles” make with our kids is invaluable. Our kids know there are other people around our region who love and support them.