ESL Camp: Drawing Closer to God & the Impact on Families

“I think English camp is one of the best places you can go to. Because it gives you many opportunities to talk to people, to get closer to God and to hear other people’s testimonies,” says 16-year-old Sofia. She is originally from Ukraine and has been living in Portugal for 2 and a half years. This was her third time to attend ESL Camp in Porto, Portugal (on the coast about 3 hours north of Lisbon). 

“What I think is the best here,” she adds, “is that you can be how you are and nobody will judge you, nobody will make fun of you. It’s just going to be a good time!” 

This year at camp, that took place August 3-9, there were 57 campers and 30 staff. 24 of the staff were Portuguese, 5 were American and 1 was from the UK (United Kingdom). Sofia notes it was great to have staff from a variety of English-speaking countries. “It’s a really great place to learn and practice your English.” The Camp Director was Duarte Casmarrinha, TeachBeyond National Director for Portugal. "We were blessed," he says "with committed staff, enthusiast campers, an extraordinary program and transformational message… a hidden treasure that all could find and take home!” This year, approximately 17% of campers were from non-Christian backgrounds. 

“Even after camp ended, the impact stories just kept coming,” shares Europe Regional Camp Consultant, Abigail Castro. They heard from 2 families in particular. One said their son wanted to be baptized and the other (non-Christian) family shared a WhatsApp photo their son posted, with the caption, “God is good. Praise the Lord!” His mom was “very surprised and happy,” Abigail shared.  

Sofia ended her interview encouraging everyone to come out to camp. “You will just have fun. You will make many new friends and have new experiences,” she exclaimed. “So you should do it!”