At 15 years old, Jonah Korsten has big dreams of playing in the AFL. But beneath that ambitious drive is another, more important purpose — to follow Christ and live in a way that reflects his faith.
As the youngest of four boys, Jonah quickly learned how to look after himself. Driven and motivated by a desire to play AFL at the highest level, Jonah maintains a rigid schedule.
“I’m a big planner. I’ll plan my week, my month, my year — to make sure I stay focused and prioritise my goals. A typical week has school, then a lot of running, time in the gym, and meal prep.”
Jonah attended his first CRU Holiday Camp two years ago. While he doesn’t come from a Christian home, both his grandmother and mum had both been on CRU Camps when they were younger, and saw their value. While Jonah’s first camp didn’t quite go as planned, his second camp was life-changing.
“The first camp I went on was Sail Mania with my brother, Tighe, and all his mates. But after just one day the camp got called off due to COVID, so we didn’t really get into it too much. Thankfully, the next camp, a year later, was much better.
I can say with confidence that that camp was the best five days I’ve ever had. I met a bunch of new people, and loved every one of them and it was just so fun and so rejuvenating. I loved it so much — I can’t even put it into words.
My family is not Christian, and I didn’t go into camp for the faith aspect — and definitely didn’t pick that I’d become a Christian myself. But I was able to talk to the leaders like Leo, Dylan and Sarah, and they broke it down in a way that took away the whole social stigma. You can be led to believe that Christians are a certain type of people who do certain things and are a bit crazy. But the leaders took away that facade and made me realise what it actually means to follow Jesus and believe in something bigger than humans.
Realising and accepting this truth gave me a purpose and drive for something bigger than myself — I feel so much happier. I know it’s a big decision, but I’m thankful I have people around me that are assisting me on this journey — from the leaders on camp who have stayed in touch, to my parents who have been supportive as I take on this big change in life.”
Over the last year, Jesus has been working in Jonah as he continues to boldly live as a Christian.
“I think I was on a pretty bad path in terms of wanting all the fame and glory, but coming to Christ and turning to Him has definitely made me realise that it was selfish and a rocky road to be walking. Coming on a CRU Camp, and turning to Christ has changed that path. I’m not going to say that I’m happy every day, and that I live the best life possible. But now that I know the truth of the Bible and the values I should be living out, I know that is how I want to live in the future. I’m no longer living a selfish path.”
When we interviewed Jonah, he told us his intention to go to boarding school this year, to further pursue his AFL career. As much as Jonah was looking forward to the new experience, he was aware of the challenges ahead.
“In high school it is difficult, because you get made fun of for being a Christian. The school is great — they’ve got great youth leaders and counsellors you can talk to. There are tonnes of new people, it is a totally different environment, and I will have lots of setting up to do in terms of finding a youth group and church, which is going to be hard. And there aren’t many Christian kids, which can make it harder. But all that said, I’m sure with the big man’s help I’ll be able to pull it off.
As I said earlier, I’m a big planner. But knowing Christ means that it’s no longer a blind jump, or an endless walking around trying to figure it out. I used to get really stressed about the future, but knowing God’s got a plan, and that things are going to be sorted out, has really helped me and I can’t think of a better way to live. It is so nice that I get to wake up every morning and know He’s in my corner.”
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We want more kids, like Jonah, to learn about Jesus at CRU Lake Mac. But with increasing camper numbers, we need your help to equip Lake Mac for the future. Will you give today?
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