2010: Summer Story #5

This story is not about a specific camper in general but rather about a group of campers. It all began when I dropped by our Eureka Camp Site one Friday afternoon. On Fridays after lunch the entire camp comes together to watch a fun movie. Most of the kids enjoy this time and look forward to it. On this particular day that I stopped in I came into the movie as always and sat down with a few campers. As I was sitting there I noticed a light on in a room right next to our movie. Out of curiosity I got up to investigate. As I approached the door I was surprised by what I found. Inside the room where 3 girls reading their Bibles. This is some what strange as most of the campers don't ask to do this during the movie. Since I didn't want to disturb them I went to find their counselor to see what was going on. After speaking with the counselor I found out that they had simply asked to read their Bibles instead of watching a movie. How exciting it was to see children reading their Bibles and filling their life with the truth rather then watching a movie for enjoyment.

2010: Summer Story #4

This next story comes from Eureka. There was a little boy in Eureka who came a long way and still has some more growing to do. Thanks to our fearless and patient directors (shown in picture) and the work of God, this little boy showed great change.

When the Boy first arrived at camp he had a real hard time focusing, listening, and obeying. It got to the point on the first day that we debated calling his parents to pick him up early. But at the request of the directors, he stayed to finish out the day. This was an early sign of the desire by the directors to see God work in the Boy's heart. As time moved on we developed a plan that would show Christ's love and to provide good structure for him to follow. It was a very slow process and many long days but as the summer continued on it was clear that God was working in this Boy's heart. By the end of the summer he began to listen and obey the staff. He wasn't perfect and still had trouble listening from time to time but there was definite change in his life. At this point I do not know if he has accepted the free gift of salvation and so I would ask you to pray that God softens his heart. We still get the chance to see him in the school year with the various programs we do (Parents' Night Out, Fall Frenzy, Camp 11/11) and we hope and pray that one day he will receive this precious gift.

2010: Summer Story #3

This story is about a young Boy from one of our Peoria Sites. He was a believer in Christ when he arrived at Camp but his relationship with God only continued to grow while he was with us. He was an expetional camper. He deserved our "I Am 3rd" award every week. This award went to the camper who put God 1st, Others 2nd, and themselves 3rd. He also brought his Bible to camp each day which inspired others to do the same. He would read his Bible when he had the chance and loved to know as much as he could about it. He loved knowing the Bible so much that when a Staff member finished their last week, the boy said that he was sad to see her go because he enjoyed talking about the Bible with her. He had a true desire to know God's word.

Another interesting part to this story is the Boy's desire to tell others about Christ. One day when Brad (Executive Director) came to camp, the boy asked if Kayla (Ministry Coordinator) was coming to camp. Brad told him no and the boy went off to play. On another day Brad again came to the camp and the Boy asked if Kayla was coming to camp. Brad told the Boy not today and then asked the Boy why he needed Kayla. The Boy responded by telling Brad that he had asked Kayla for a wordless book (gospel presentation tool) to share with his friends. With a smile on his face Brad went to his car to get a wordless book for the Boy. He was excited that he now had his own wordless book to share with others. How exciting it is to see children with a desire to spread the gospel.

2010: Summer Story #2

Here is another story from the summer.

This story is about a young girl from one of our Peoria Camps. This young lady was a believer when she came to Camp, but God was causing her to grow. This year she developed a passion for God's word and was reading and remembering it. One day instead of playing during a game time she chose to read her Bible. She was also taking this knowledge and applying it. She was one of the campers that was always willing to hold open doors or carry something for the group. She was also very obedient and did what she was asked the first time. She was not only applying God's word to her life but she was hiding it in her heart. Each week of the summer we had a memory verse for the campers to learn. This girl know each of them and could recite them when asked. How great it is to see young people diving into God's word and memorizing it. Praise the Lord for the work he has and is doing in this girl's life.

More stories to come...

2010 : Summer Story #1

Over the next few weeks I will be posting stories of what God has done in the lives of campers. Each week will feature a different camper and their story.

The first story is one that has been in progress for 3 years now. This boy is 7 years old and has attended our Christian Center Camp for the last 3 years. In his first year with us, on the first day of camp, he was very close to being sent home. It was clear that this boy would require a lot of patience. Through that year and the years to follow, the staff were dedicated to praying for this young man. Mid way through his first summer the gospel was shared with him and he made a profession of faith. From that point he began to grow. It was a slow process but God was at work. Fast forward to this year, God's work in his life is clearly evident. This young boy was running to the front of the line to open the door for everyone one. He listens well to the Bible stories and even asks questions about them. He was willing to pray in front of the camp as well as in front of his group. He even received the Camp Champ bracelet this year, which is the award that encompasses all the other awards we have (Leadership, Respect, Unconditional Love, Gratefulness, and many others). This is not to say that he is perfect, God is still working on him as he is working on all of us. But the change that we have seen in his life can only be explained by the work of God through the Spirit. Praise the Lord for His work and the changed heart of this young boy.

Stay tuned...More stories to come!

Green Means Go

Its right around the corner and there is a lot to be done. We are just under 20 days until the first day of camp. Let me start by telling you a little bit about what has happened since I last posted something. We had the last Eureka Parents Night Out around a month ago. It went great and the kids had a lot of fun. We have also had 124 people apply to serve at camp this summer. As of now we have hired around 95 of them. We still have a few spots to fill but to be honest with you we are almost done hiring staff for this summer. Next, a lot of my projects are almost complete. The curriculum is done and just needs to be printed out and placed into binders. The group binders (which is a binder with a lot of different resources for staff) is also done and needs to be printed and bond. Today I will be working on the schedules for 3 of our 6 camps and next week I will be preparing for training and getting camp sites ready.

A Few Prayer Request
1. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will guide us as we finish hiring staff.

2. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will help us not to be overwhelmed by what needs to be done, but that we would take it one step at a time and accomplish the tasks we have.

3. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will prepare my heart for a summer of ministry to both campers and staff members.

Thanks for your prayers and keep pressing on!

53 Days Left

Last Friday we had a Peoria Parents' Night Out. It was our last one of the season, but it was a great one. The weather was so nice that we got to go outside and play capture the flag. We also had a Bible lesson and went bowling. It was a great night and a great opportunity to reconnect with campers and staff. Thanks for your prayers.

God has also blessed us with more staff applications. A few weeks ago things were not looking the best but now we seem to be doing well. We have even had a few more guys apply. We could still use more people but we know God will provide our needs. Thanks for your continued prayers in this area.

Looking Ahead . . .

1. Next Friday we have our last Eureka Parents' Night Out. It should be another great night. Would you PAUSE and PRAY for the safety of the campers and staff. Would you also PAUSE and PRAY for good opportunities to reconnect.

2. We have another staff interview session on April 20th. Would you PAUSE and PRAY that God will give us wisdom as we go through this process.

3. The summer is 53 days away. Would you PAUSE and PRAY for all the preparation that goes into a summer. Things like field trip planning, daily schedules, arranging buses to come as needed, director training, staff training, printing off and putting together all of our material, and many other things.

Thanks for your prayers.

Green Means Go

Our theme this summer is Green Means Go. We are spinning this off of the green page in the wordless book. The purpose of the theme will be to encourage campers to grow in their faith and apart of that growing is going into the world and sharing the gospel. Our theme verse is coming from Matt. 28:19-20. It will be a great summer and I pray that God will really work on these campers to share about Him.

Since I was last on here we have had a lot that has happened. Two weekends ago we had a Parents Night Out in Eureka. It was a great night. We had a lot of staff come and minister to campers. The evening was filled with games like "Super Assault," snacks, and a Bible lesson. Thanks for all of you who prayed for this event. We also had another group interview this past weekend. There were 11 applicants that came and it was great to meet all of them.

Looking Ahead . . .

1. We have a Peoria Parents Night Out this Friday. It should be a lot of fun as this is our last Peoria one of the season.

2. Following that there will be a Eureka Parents Night Out a few weeks later. This will be the last Eureka one of the season.

3. The summer is only 62 days away. There is much to do and less time to do it in. Your prayers for the preparation of the summer are greatly sought after.

Media Blast

Last week we had our group interview session at Pekin. We had 12 potential staff members come. While there we introduced them to camp and then interviewed each one of them. The night went really well. Thanks for praying.

Tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow I will be going to different communities and hanging up posters like this one in strategic locations. Attached to the poster will be a pocket for brochures. I will also be putting flyers in schools to be passed out to all of the students. Will you PAUSE and PRAY for this media blast? Will you pray that families who need Christ will see these items and sign up to come to Camp?

Looking Ahead . . .

1. Friday we have a Eureka PNO. Will you PAUSE and PRAY that this will be a good time of reconnecting with campers and staff?

2. We still need a lot of staff. Will you PAUSE and PRAY that God will bring young men and women to serve this summer?

3. The curriculum is coming along but still needs a lot of work. Will you PAUSE and PRAY that God will guide me as I continue to work on it?

Up-Date

It has been a little while since I've been on here. Here is what has happened. At the end of February we attended a camping conference. It was a nice get away and gave me some good things to think about. We then attended the Equip conference which is held at PCS every year. That was a great opportunity to get our name out there and to gain more ministry training. Following that we had our Chili Supper, our annual fundraiser. I am pleased to say that it went well and God blessed us through it. Then the first week in March we had another PNO in Peoria. That was also a great night. We bowled, played games, and had a Bible lesson. It has been busy for us lately but God has brought us through it.

Looking Ahead . . .

Several things are coming up:

1. Group Interview Session - Our first group interview session is tomorrow. We have around 12 Counselor and Junior Counselor applicants coming. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will give us wisdom as we begin selecting staff members to serve this summer.

2. Eureka PNO - At the end of this month we will be having a Parents' Night Out in Eureka. This is a great event for us to reconnect with former campers. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will be at work in this event.

3. Staff - We have about 54 of 115 staff members that have applied. We still need more. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will bring the people he wants to Camp this summer.

4. Curriculum - I am currently in week 9 of the curriculum but there is still much to be done. Would you PAUSE & PRAY that God will guide me as i finish the curriculum.

Thank you for your prayers, you keep me going.

PNO & Presidents' Day Camp

Two Fridays ago we had our first Parents' Night Out of 2010. I am pleased to say that it went well and the kids had a great time. Through the night we had a Bible story, games, and bowling. One parent told me he hadn't been out with his wife in a couple of months and was so happy to have a place for his children on a Friday night. What an honor it is to serve our parents.

This past Monday we had our first ever President's Day Camp. We had 25 campers come to Pekin and spend the whole day with us. We had campers from a variety of different camps. During the day i had the opportunity to share a presidential Bible story with the campers (a story about King Saul and David). Along with the story we taught the campers a verse from Romans 12:21. At the end of the day one of the campers came up to me and asked me if i would help him learn the verse. We spent the next 10 minutes practicing and learning motions to the verse and he finally had it done. It was very encouraging to see a young boy memorizing God's Word.

Looking Ahead . . .

The Chili Supper is on its way and there is much to be done. This is our annual fundraising event to keep camp going. We you pray for the preparation of this event?

Summer Staff Search Begins

The summer is on its way and we have begun to look for staff. Each year seems to be similar in that we have a big need for male staff. It is interesting because on the camper side we usually have more boys sign up then girls, but on the staff side we usually have more females sign up then males. Which points to our big need for male staff. It has been amazing as God has provided our needs for each summer. Would you PAUSE and PRAY for solid young men to come and serve at Camp of Champions this summer. Would you PAUSE and PRAY that God will guide the full-time staff as we make decisions on staff members. The staff is what makes our program so great and we need your prayers to make this year awesome.

Summer Camp 2010

The summer is not to far away and there is much to be done. Kayla and I just finished designing the brochure and we are now sending it off to be printed. This picture is a sneak peak at the front side. I want to say thank you to everyone that prayed for this project. Would you continue to pray that there would be no other problems as we send it to be printed?

Looking Ahead...

At this point there are 145 days, 14 hours, and 22 minutes until the first day of Camp begins. One thing that needs to happen is the curriculum needs to be finished. At this point there is still lots to be done. I am currently in Phase 2 of the curriculum. During this phase I am reading through the stories and pulling together different commentary notes for our directors. Would you pray that God will guide me as I go through this process. Thanks again for your dedication to prayer.

Winter Camp

Winter camp has come and gone. It was a great year. This was the first year that we had 2 camp sites open. We played a lot of the same activities we do in the summer such as dodgeball, bowling, field trips and much more. We also have the privilege of sharing Bible stories to the campers. Our first week focused on the events surrounding Jesus' birth. In the second week, we gave the kids a sneak peak of next year's lessons (out of the book of Acts).

I have two really neat stories to share with you. The first one is about a boy who I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with. While chatting with him i asked him how his life was going. He responded by saying everything was going well. He then told me how he had been reading his Bible. I asked him what he had been learning as he read. He told me he had been reading through Genesis and was understanding that there are consequences for our sinful actions. I was blown away that this camper had been reading his Bible and not only reading it but trying to understand it and apply it to his life.

My second story was a message from a parent that we received today. She wrote to tell us how grateful she was for camp. She told us that the 2 short weeks of winter camp had made a large impact on her 8 year old son. During the week her son was picking up his Bible and reading Bible stories all by himself. This was a real encouragement to me. What a joy it is to see campers drawing close to God through the reading of his word.

I want to say THANK YOU! to all of you who prayed for winter camp. You are such a blessing.