In 1974, Brent Hasty was just 13 years old and didn’t know who Jesus was. His cousin and aunt invited him to a youth camp at Redwood Christian Park, and it sounded exciting to him.
“I showed up at RCP having no idea that my life would change forever,” Brent said.
Accepting Christ in the Prayer Chapel
During one of the nightly sessions at camp, the speaker invited anyone who wanted to begin a relationship with Jesus to come forward. Brent wanted that relationship, but he was too shy to walk to the front. Instead, he made his way to one of the Prayer Chapels at RCP.
“I walked over to this prayer chapel and by myself, I knelt down. Me and Jesus had a conversation, and I asked Him into my heart,” Brent shared.
That quiet moment between Brent and God changed his life forever.
Looking back, Brent says, “It made me realize that I was incredibly loved, that Jesus cared about me.”
Traveling to Church Every Week
When Brent returned home from camp, he wanted to attend a church in Yuba City, even though it was a long drive from where his family lived. Brent’s family didn’t attend church and weren’t Christians, but every week his mom still drove him.
Every Sunday morning, she would take him to church, sit in the car reading a book and smoking while Brent attended the service, and then drive him back home.
It was at that church that Brent met his wife. From that one decision at camp, his life has never been the same, and it continues to shape the way he lives today.
“Jesus wants you to fall in love with Him”
Every year, Brent returns to the place where his relationship with Jesus began, Redwood Christian Park. He describes it as a quiet place among the redwoods where you can truly hear Jesus.
“Jesus wants you to fall in love with Him. And this is a place where you can take the time, hear His loving kindness, and actually fall in love with Him,” Brent shared.
For Brent, Redwood Christian Parks is the place where his relationship with Jesus began. More than 50 years later, he still comes back stenrgthens his relationship with Jesus each time. That one prayer changed the course of his life. His story is a reminder that you never know how God might use a week at camp to change someone’s life forever.