Leading with love: Jamaican native hosts Christian Camp for Children

Grace Karen Henry was born on the beautiful island of Jamaica. She grew up in a home filled with love in a family of seven children. She has three sisters and two brothers, and her eldest brother, Roger, died 14 years ago.

She has lived in East Flatbush on the 300 E. 25th block, between Clarendon Avenue and Avenue D, for more than 40 years.

“My block was predominantly Caribbean from Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, and Trinidad. The block is now re-gentrification of my block; it has remained a true family block. When all our new families moved in, they understood that we’re a family block with a strong block association where we love and share with all our neighbors, including the love of gardening. I’m blessed and proud to be part of this amazing community,” she said.

Something that may surprise people about her is that she earned a yellow belt in karate.

Henry says the most significant influence in the life of her and her siblings was their mom, Zena Henry, “She taught us all the true meaning of love and compassion, which is loving the Lord Jesus with all our heart and with all our soul. Secondly, in education, she always said, ‘No one can take away what you have learned, so it is important to learn and learn it well.'”

Henry remembered witnessing an act of kindness while growing up in Jamaica: her dad migrated to the USA in December 1969, and her mom had to find a way to survive and take care of her and her siblings in dark times.

“She had to reinvent herself from a housewife to become an entrepreneur. She started selling oranges, cookies, and candies until she could open her little grocery shop. Many people in our community were poor and couldn’t afford to buy a whole loaf of bread, so she would cut the bread according to how much money they had,” she explained.

She and her older sister Arlene have been traveling back to the community they grew up in, Glen Drive, Kingston, Jamaica, to run Warriors for Christ Youth Camp every summer for less fortunate kids between eight and 13 years old.

Henry states the mission statement for the camp: “The Word of God is life, and with Him, we can do all things.  Building a relationship with Jesus Christ by learning His Word. Therefore, it is our duty to arm our children with the tools they need to be strong and resilient.”

Henry, sharing details of how the camp was established, said, “As a family, we were raised always to give back. In 2016, Arlene became a successful doctor. She was praying for a way to give back. One morning, the Lord spoke to her about starting a youth camp in Jamaica, ‘The Warriors,’ to empower and plant the word of GOD in our children. As a child, she also watched my mother accomplish many remarkable things. She always put the needs of others above her own. Whether it was a cooked meal, giving the shirt off her back, someone to talk to, or shelter. Our home was a haven for any and everyone.”

Henry added that the desire for a youth program was also placed in both her heart and her younger sister Andrea’s heart, which confirmed this was what the Lord wanted them to do as a family. Each year, we meet as a group to pray and ask God for direction and his plan and theme for each year.

Her hobbies growing up were reading, playing hopscotch, netball, and gardening since she loved playing in the dirt.  She is now a certified horticulturist ( someone who cultivates and manages gardens).

Activities offered during the camp include arts and crafts, music and dance lessons, swimming, career workshops in medicine, engineering, aviation, and law enforcement, and daily worship.

Henry stated, “The benefit for the children is to have a week of meeting new friends, games, gifts, learning how to communicate with adults and peers, and being accountable for their actions, assignments given, and their live performance during our street outreach concert.”

She says the camp’s impact on the community over the years has been positive.

“We’ve brought the community together through their children: children who the community deemed unredeemable have made them regret their words; children who won’t go to school start going because they want to be in camp each year. The moment they become Warriors, we’re part of their lives until Christ returns. Most importantly,  we have taught them that when they give their lives to Christ, He will never leave or forsake them no matter what life tossed their way,” she explained.

Discussing legacy, one of the things Henry and her sister Arlene are most proud of is that through the camp, the camp team has supported all the Warriors through the years, supplying things needed, including lab tops, help with school fees, and lunch money from their own pockets.

According to Henry, the team is also proud to announce that in 2024, the camp had its first recipient for our “Warriors for Christ Scholarship Fund,” Phillisa Jada, who was part of the first group of Warriors and is now one of our youth leaders.

This year, the second recipient of the Warriors for Christ Scholarship is Yackkeni McDermott, from Holy Childhood High School, who was accepted to the University of West Indies (UWI) to study Writing, Literature & Publishing. The goal is to raise $5,000 or more this year.

“Our main purpose is that young lives are impacted through love and kindness by sharing God’s love grounded in His Word. Finally, making sure that they have a chance through a good education,” Henry continued.