Ups and Downs

Camp has started and believe it or not we are already in week three!  Things are moving very quickly this year and as usual I am way behind in my office duties.  So let me take a moment to recap what has been happening. Orientation week went really well.  This year I did not need to hire any International counselors because I had enough Americans apply for staff positions.  I do, however, have one staffer that is originally from Ecuador and one from China.  I also have one staffer that came here from Germany even though he has only lived there for three years, so if you stretch your imagination just a bit...I still have an International staff!

Junior 1 camp was a bit larger than last year's session and Sailing 1 was a little larger too.  That is our ups for this article.  Junior 1 had about 24 young people go forward at the commitment service.  Most of the young people were making first time decisions for Christ while the others were recommitting their lives to Christ.  That number is almost half of the entire camp that went forward at the invitation!

Last week's Junior High camp was smaller than normal.  Junior High camp is always an interesting camp as my friend Rev. Chaz Hutchison stretches everyone with new games and challenges.  Chaz likes to have staff take over vespers as the week goes along and four different staffers lead the vesper worship services.  Even among our staff we are trying to build stronger Christians!  When staff step out in faith to share their faith with the entire camp people take notice and campers tend to listen a little closer.  I am proud of those that dared to step up and lead.

Also, during the Junior High camp I challenged the entire camp with a Bible question, I will be using it later and do not wish to give you the question or answer in this article.  I offered a pizza party to the cabin group that came up with the correct answer.  All week long I had campers coming to me with Bible verses that they thought answered my question correctly, it was great to see so many young people using their Bibles.  Finally, on Friday morning one of the young male campers came to me with the right verse!  Their counselor said that they read three full Gospels until they found the answer I was looking for!  This same cabin group also won the cabin clean up award!  Party time for cabin 12-A.

That brings us to Music Camp week.  Leadership Camp starts this week too as well as Primary Mini-Camp later this week.  I will get another article next week to recap all three of these camps for you.  For now, keep on praying as we need your prayers to help beat the heat of the week!  The weather is brutal so far and will only get hotter as the week goes on.  Chaz and I supplied them with pizza, soda and snacks for a party in the Session Leaders air-conditioned apartment!

Thank you all for your prayers and support.