In June 2026, the Christian Soccer Club Nadia held two children’s camps in Zalissya for young players of the teams aged 8–10 and 11–12.


The Lord showed us great mercy, and even though Ukraine is experiencing its fifth summer of war, the boys who attend the Christian Soccer Club Nadia had the opportunity to visit an outreach sports and recreation camp during the summer holidays. We are sincerely grateful to all people of goodwill who supported this project. With God’s blessing, thanks to the participation of patrons, parents of young soccer players, and the selfless work of the team, both camps took place.

They were held at our campsite, located in the picturesque nature of the Polissya region.

The program of the first camp, called “Soldiers of Christ,” was based on the biblical text from Ephesians 6:10-18. The main topic: How to be a true soldier of Christ and have spiritual weapons for the fight.

There was a nice, friendly atmosphere at the camp. Most of the participants were from the same team, with which the coaches had been working for more than one year. Four participants happened to be at a Christian camp for the first time.

Before lunch, we played soccer; after lunch, we had camp games; in the evenings, we had nice fellowships by the fireplace. Especially, a lot of conversations were on the topic of obedience. As practice shows, this is a rather relevant, if not painful, topic for children even from believing families, and there were about 75% of such in the camp.

In the second camp, the topic was the same — “Soldiers of Christ,” but adapted for older children and taking into account the fact that more than half of the participants were from families that do not attend church. Many were at the camp for the first time. Perhaps that is why there were many conflict situations from which we learned how to resolve them correctly. In general, we learned to build relationships and accept each other. We also struggled with smartphone dependency. If earlier, when going to camp, we asked children: “Can you go a week without your mother?”, now we need to ask: “Can you go a week without your phone?” There was one boy with whom we had to talk a lot, dealing with conflicts he had with others due to his very selfish behavior. At the end of the camp, he called his parents to pick him up. A difficult, serious conversation took place with the parents. The parents supported the coaches, which is a rarity in our time, and admitted that their son had communication problems. After the conversation, the boy stayed at the camp, trying to improve his behavior. Despite all the difficulties, it was noticeable that the Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of the children and changing them.

After the camp, the children’s parents shared that the camp had a positive impact on their sons, and thanked the coaches for teaching their children to be kind, honest, respectful, and supportive of each other, and to feel like a team based on the Word of God. Outdoor recreation, games, and chats with friends are the best things that can be given to children now as a relief from war. Joint prayer unites them and gives them faith in the future.

Oleksandr Honchar

In their reviews, the children who participated in the camps shared the following impressions:

Luka, 8 years old, Rivne

“This year I went to a soccer camp for the first time in my life. At the camp, I enjoyed archery and air rifle shooting, as well as various games and relay races. I’ve learned that God loves us, that He is merciful, and gives us a lot of grace. I thank the organizers for a very cool camp, an interesting program, and sports games. I liked everything.”

Anatoly, 11 years old, Rivne

“This is my second time at such a camp. I was invited by our soccer club. I learned about God’s armor and His mercy. I liked the food, entertainment, the territory, the program, and soccer. I want to thank the organizers; may God bless them and let them continue to make such wonderful camps.”

Max, 11 years old, Rivne

“This is not my first time at such a camp; I have been with Nadia for almost 6 years… This is my family… I thank my coaches — Uncle Sasha, Dima, and Uncle Tom — for giving me such an opportunity to have such a getaway from the city, to play wonderful and interesting games. Thanks to Nadia, I now know a lot about God. At the camp, after the games and entertainment, we all sat down together and read the Bible and asked different questions — it was cool! I miss it already. The food was delicious here, and in general, everything was awesome… Swimming in the pool is also one of my favorites! I thank all the organizers of the camp very much!!!
P. S. I would like the pool to be open at least every other day and for the camp to be held not once during the summer break, but at least twice. Thank you again for giving us such an opportunity to develop and enjoy our childhood, so that we will have great memories!