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.