The Tree is Still Growing

Karen Grub, Director T.R.A.C Ohio Valley, WV 

My story begins in 1996, the very first year of Royal Family Kids Camp Ohio Valley. 

That year we met twin brothers who immediately captured everyone's hearts. They had experienced significant trauma, and it showed. There were moments of running, hiding under the bed, punching, and other challenging behaviors. But one moment has stayed with me for the last 30 years. 

During our Tree Planting Ceremony, each camper was invited to write down something they wanted to leave behind at camp like a bad memory. One of the twins wrote only one thing—his brother's name. 

We were deeply concerned. Our camp director, Heidi, gently sat down with him to ask what he meant. His answer broke our hearts. 

He said he wanted to leave his brother at camp because this was the only place he felt loved. 

Those words have never left me. 

As the years went on, many people entered the twins' lives. Some relationships brought hope, while others were difficult or short-lived. Like many children who have experienced deep trauma, trusting others wasn't always easy, and some relationships ended before they had a chance to grow. Yet through it all, God never stopped pursuing them. He faithfully continued to place people in their lives, each one planting or watering seeds that only He could bring to life. 

This year, nearly 30 years later, one of those little boys returned—not as a camper, but as a volunteer. 

He served on the support staff at Royal Family Kids Camp and also signed up to serve at our T.R.A.C. Ohio Valley camp. 

The part that overwhelmed me was that we were standing at the very same camp where we first met him as a little boy. 

Throughout the weekend, James shared what Royal Family Kids Camp had meant to him as a child. He said it was a safe place. It was a place where he was fed. It was a place where he experienced love and stability when so much of life felt uncertain. 

Then I had the opportunity to share something with him that he had never known. 

After that very first year of Royal Family Kids Camp Ohio Valley, I wrote the names of every camper from that first camp on the mirror in my bedroom. Those names stayed there for more than 15 years. Every morning they reminded me to pray for those children and to trust God with the seeds He had planted in their lives. 

I don't know if James ever imagined someone was faithfully praying for him through all those years, but it was a privilege to tell him. 

Listening to him share his memories, and then being able to share mine, was something I'll never forget. 

For me, there was another layer to the story. 

When I first met James in 1996, my own son, Brian, was 16 years old. Two years later, Brian served at Royal Family Kids Camp and we celebrated his 18th birthday at camp. 

Looking back now, I realize God was growing two young men at the same time—one in our home and one through this ministry. 

Nearly 30 years later, seeing Brian and James serving together as adults was one of those unforgettable "mom moments" that only God could write. 

And then there was the tree. 

The same tree we planted during that Tree Planting Ceremony nearly 30 years ago is still standing. It's still growing. 

Standing beside that tree, I couldn't help but think about the seeds that had been planted—not just beneath the tree, but in the hearts of children. Some of those seeds took years, even decades, to begin showing fruit. But God never stopped working. 

Before camp ended, God placed something very specific on my heart. I asked James if he would consider becoming part of our leadership team and pursuing national training. 

I told him to pray about it and let me know. 

He smiled and said, "I don't have to pray about it. I already know." 

"It's yes." 

At that moment, I thought back to the little boy who once wanted to leave his brother at camp because it was the only place he felt loved. 

Now, nearly 30 years later, he has chosen to become one of the people who will make sure another child experiences that same love. 

Only God can write stories like this. 

Thank You, Lord, for allowing my husband and me to witness the harvest from seeds planted so many years ago. Thank You for every person who planted, every person who watered, and for being the One who faithfully gave the growth. 

The tree is still growing.