So Much Grace
- Leora Mazorovsky
- Aug 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2023
Tents of Mercy Congregation
Kiryat Yam, Israel
Since 2007, Tents of Mercy and Beltway Church have been partnering together on an annual five-day summer sleepaway camp for elementary aged children. During the Covid 19 crisis which closed our borders to visitors and prevented large local gatherings, we were unexpectedly compelled to take a two year hiatus. Last year we re-started the camp and it was wonderful, if a bit bumpy after all that time off.
But this year was amazing! We had almost 80 children representing 10 congregations - playing, learning and worshiping together. The local staff, counselors and volunteers worked smoothly together providing a nurturing environment to communicate this year’s theme: Words Build Us Up (Milim Bonot - מלים בונות).
The evening sessions of worship and teaching were particularly outstanding. Our counselors led worship most mornings and evenings and did a great job. But the kids’ response was phenomenal. They participated enthusiastically in singing and dancing in a way that I’ve never seen before and then listened attentively to the speakers as they shared personal stories about the power of words in their own lives.
We were all blessed and moved to be able to join in what the Spirit was doing through our children as they worshiped with such intensity. A week later I was speaking to the grandmother of some of the campers. She told me the children came back and told her their favorite part of the camp was the worship. What a testimony!
One of the songs that we sang on repeat was “So Much Grace”* (Kama Hesed – כמה חסד).* I think the words sum up how we all felt as we concluded this special week together:
“I have seen His work in my life, and I know that it is only by grace that I am here. So much grace has been given to me!”
*Can be found on YouTube under the same title or with this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XfJNbKrLqU. Song and Lyrics by Beresheet Israel.
