A Conscious Decision
It all began in the summer of 1998 when my mother enrolled me into summer camp without my permission, or willing consent, if you will. “But mom,” I cried, “I told you I wanted to go to the Fresh Air Fund, not Christian camp; it’s going to be so boring!” And to that my mother responded, “Devonne, if you think you’re going to be ‘ripping and running’ the streets all summer long while I’m at work, you have another thing coming!” You see, back then I was only 13 years old and my aging grandmother, who had suddenly become ill with lung cancer, could no longer care for me. With limited resources for childcare I was left to roam the streets freely between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, and if I didn’t find myself getting into some sort of trouble, trouble was sure to find me.
As a new teenager I was very impressionable and wanted to fit in with the “cool” kids, even if it meant joining the neighborhood gang, formerly known as “Shiesty No Limit,” meaning there was no limit to how shady and sneaky we would be. This particular gang was known for terrorizing the neighborhood by robbing and stealing, initiating fights with innocent bystanders, cutting school and smoking marijuana. Prior to leaving for camp I was scheduled to be “jumped in” upon return, by a gang of 10+ kids, which was the initiation standard. Afterwards, I would then be given the honor to participate in recruiting and “jumping” others as well, with the possibility of becoming a gang leader in the future.
Little did I know, despite my apprehension, my mother’s firm decision to send me to Camp Deerpark would have such a life-changing impact that would eventually lead me down the path to salvation, down a road of no return, because after attending one 10-day camp session there was no doubt about it: I wanted to be simply “sold out” for the Jesus that I had heard about during the nightly campfires.
It was at one particular campfire where the Holy Spirit filled the chapel so heavily that several campers, who were already gang members, began to take off their gang bandanas and lay them at the altar, as a sign of fully surrendering to Christ, while forsaking the life of a “gang banger” if you will. Afterwards we sang “We are blessed in the city, we are blessed in the field, we are blessed when we come or when we go,” which remains my all time favorite camp song.
As Hyacinth Stevens spoke about Jesus’ unconditional love for us during campfire, she made it plain and simple that despite our parents’ and grandparents’ relationship with God, we were now at the age of accountability and needed to make a firm decision for ourselves. “You’re either going to be hot or cold,” she said. “Now which one will it be? Because lukewarm isn’t a decision!” That question rang over and over in my mind, well after summer camp had come to an end, because I had some serious decisions to make. Either I was going to return to the Bronx and continue ahead with my plans to join the Shiesty No Limit Gang, or I would make a conscious decision to serve Christ wholeheartedly. Because of the positive impact this experience had on my life, in addition to the ongoing encouragement by my camp counselor, Aura Espinosa, I was able to get connected with King of Glory Tabernacle in the Bronx, where I was immediately connected with the youth group and began receiving weekly mentorship from Pastor Hyacinth Stevens. These strong mentors instilled the importance of servant leadership. This is what ultimately inspired me to get my master’s of social work from Fordham University in 2011. I strive to serve my community and other marginalized communities in the same way Camp Deerpark has served me.
Written by Veronica Dingwall, camper, counselor, summer camp director 2009, board member 2016–2018, attends King of Glory Tabernacle in the Bronx.
Devonne McMorris, assistant director in 2005, attended King of Glory Tabernacle in the Bronx.