No matter where it happens, camp is always a place of transformation
The games in the field, the adventures at the lake, the laughter in the dining hall, the nights around the bonfire, and in the dormitories, the sincere conversations about God’s love — all of this bears fruit for eternity.
That’s why, when we invest in renovations, adjustments, and improvements, we don’t think only about structures, but about lives. Lives that have been and will be transformed — not by the place itself, but because a well-prepared environment helps us communicate, with clarity and beauty, the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pedro Fernandes
It was sitting in a JOY! camp hall, still a teenager, that I began to understand the gospel in a deeper way. I never imagined that message would change not only my life but my entire story.
Years went by, filled with discipleship, training, and growth, and then there I was, back in the hall. But this time, standing. With the responsibility and privilege of presenting the Plan of Salvation to other teenagers.
Looking at dozens of teens, many carrying the same emptiness I once carried, waiting to hear something that made sense. And there, in that moment, I realized: just as one day I was reached sitting in that chair, now it was my turn to announce the Good News, to bring the message that would change everything.
The hall is more than just a physical space. It is where stories begin to be transformed, just like mine was.
Natália Carantino
I remember that even though I had gone to JOY! camp with school friends, I barely knew those girls. But it was there, during the first dinner in the dining hall, that everything began to change. Between shy conversations and soft laughter, friendships were born that would become fundamental in my walk with Christ.
Years later, there I was again at the camp table — but now as a leader, alongside much younger girls who were also nearly strangers. Once again, the dining hall became a place of meeting and connection. Between a cup of coffee and a piece of bread, bonds were formed, and from that moment a Bible study group was born that lasted five years.
Manu, smiling in this photo, is one of the girls from that group. Years later, she came back as a leader and discipled other teens who, like her, began their journey of faith around a camp dining table. The cycle repeats itself, and God continues using simple encounters to bear eternal fruit.
Because many times, it is there, in a shared meal, that the first bonds are created, hearts open, and the space to talk about Christ begins to take shape.
João Pedro Ribeiro
I arrived at JOY! at the same age as the boys I now accompany as a leader.
Back then, the field was a memorable place for me. It was there that I began building deeper bonds with my friends. It was more than just fun: it was God using people to instruct me, exhort me, teach me to serve, and shape me according to His Word.
Years later, I was once again in the field, now as a cabin leader. At that camp, I didn’t know the boys in my group very well. But, just as it had happened to me years before, I saw God using that space once again: between a mud bath, soccer games, and campfire conversations, bonds were formed and hearts began to open.
It has been three years since that photo, and by the grace of the Lord, those teenagers are still walking with Christ. Today, I have the privilege of walking alongside them and witnessing firsthand how the seed planted there in the field continues to bear fruit.
The field has always been more than just a field — it is a space where memories are created, friendships are strengthened, and experiences with God take shape.
Tharsis Ribeiro
I have always had a special affection for the camp dormitories. I believe they are unique spaces because it is there that the first conversations happen, laughter turns into connection, and little by little, hearts open.
My first camp as a cabin leader was in 2016. I received a group of girls I had never met before, but whom God already knew deeply. They came from different backgrounds, some even shy or distrustful. But something happens when we sleep and wake up in the same place, share stories before bed, and live the days side by side, even if only for a few days.
Just as the dormitories marked my story back when I was a camper, I saw the same happen with them. Today it’s been three years that I’ve been walking with those girls — most of them are firm in faith, serve alongside me, and are being prepared to lead their own groups. It all began in that room. Bricks, cement, bunk beds, and mattresses — used by God to accomplish something eternal.
