The Power of a Name

I (Aaron) wrote this last week, but I'm just now getting around to posting it...

I always love reading in the Old Testament the different times when the patriarchs are born. Their families were so specific in naming their children. Sometimes the child would be named out of spite or anger. Often a parent would name their child after what they hoped for the child. Many times in the Bible God steps in with a name for a child. Names are so important that God changes names. Abram became Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, and Saul to Paul as a few suggestions.

When Stephanie and I began searching God’s will for this ministry He laid on our hearts the idea of refuge. Many times the English language doesn’t have the ability to capture a whole thought in a single word. However, in Hebrew we found that there were several which could mean refuge. One of the ones David chose so often was Machaceh. Which has the meaning of hope, trust, and a place of shelter. All the aspects of a complete refuge. We struggled through finding a name for a while and as we discovered this word we realized God had breathed the first breath into a new organization.

Fast forward to this summer and God has not stood idle. He has stood by the promise that Camp Machaceh means. I talked to a parent who sent three youth to camp after their week. She told me that for three days before camp a man had been driving by their apartment complex and a nearby playground firing random shots at the kids who were out playing including hers. She looked at me with the most thankful eyes I have ever seen. The man was arrested while the kids were at camp. That week of camp may have saved her kids’ lives.

Today, the promise of Machaceh was driven even deeper into my heart. A young girl was not feeling very well after a hot day of camp. When her youth leader asked her if she wanted to go home, she said no because “this is the only place she has felt like a kid in a really long time.” Afterwards, she began talking with her youth leader, and I stepped out of the room for privacy. Later he came and told me that he has never heard her open up about God like she did today. At camp this week she found a safe haven where she could let her guard down. A place to find hope and trust. Machaceh is such a powerful promise for this ministry. We can’t wait to see how God continues to shape this ministry.