Camping Fun!

Echo Ranch is running in full force now that camping season has begun!  Last week was our first week of Senior High camp with the theme “Down on the Farm”.  It was jam-packed with zip-lining, horseback riding, laser tag, Mission Impossible, Storm the Castle, a paint war, and hikes.  Those things are super cool in and of themselves, but when used as a tool to share the Gospel, they become all that much better.  During counselor orientation, we had taken a prayer walk around camp to both familiarize the counselors with various areas and their uses and pray over them.  As Randy explained what goes on in these places, he mentioned that there are lots of kids who would never choose to go to Bible camp for the Bible part, but they’ll come to play laser tag.  Or ride horses.  Or learn to survive in the wilderness.  And while they’re having fun doing those things, we get to love on them, build relationships with them, and share God with them.  The week also includes intense chapel messages and times for the kids to share their hearts with fellow campers and counselors.  Tears are shed, burdens are lifted, issues are wrestled with, doubts are voiced, questions are raised, encouragement is given, prayers are spoken.  I am continually amazed at the dedication and love these counselors have to the campers in their cabins.  Several kids this week just weren’t entirely sure about this Christian thing and were contemplating other religions.  Others didn’t feel worthy of God’s love.  One girl shared early in the week that she spent most of her childhood crying over her parents’ fighting.  She said she doesn’t have a lot of faith in marriage or what God tells people to do.  Her counselor spent a lot of time with her, even missing events, to just talk things out.  She wrestled with the Gospel and spent time alone in the chapel.  By the end of the week, she had tears streaming down her smiling face. 

Ryan and I got to head up the other section of counselors who didn’t have cabins this week – the work staff!  These guys get down and dirty with pots and pans, leftover food, nasty toilets, mop buckets, and even pigs.  It’s the behind-the-scenes work and it’s actually very fun!  We turn up the iPod volume and get jiggy wit’ it while we scrub, sweep, mop, and put away dishes.  It was quite the learning curve at the beginning of the week and we had a bit of a frustrating first day, but we reminded ourselves that it was indeed The First Day and we were new at this, so there was a lot of learning to do.  And learn we did!  Ryan’s a fabulous organizer, so he made fancy schedules and lists and all those other organize-ish things that I wish I was good at.  And then we revised, re-communicated things, and re-scheduled as we learned.  Humility is one of those funny things that seemed to creep up often as well, constantly tapping on our shoulder until we acknowledged it and graciously accepted it.  Just another lesson from God that I might not want, but desperately need.

Prayers

• For campers – we get daily prayer requests from each cabin and these campers are dealing with everything from different religions to unhealthy families to relationship issues.    

• For safety – our nurse is busy!

• For the moms here – it’s sometimes hard to balance doing ministry and caring for our kids.

Thanksgivings

• For generosity – we had a Juneau bus driver call in and donate a free week of camp for each kid on her bus route.  That seriously added up to between $10,000 and $15,000.   

• For people around us that bestow grace. 

• For friends.

• For God working in the hearts of everyone here, campers and staff alike.