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?