ministry

Howdy all, its been a little while since I made an entry. On Sunday, June 29, Mission: Possible! took about 30 campers with us down to H.E. Butt Foundation camp near Leakey, Texas for the annual “Road Trip” outing. It was a less structured time than Camp Nikos, with an emphasis on “family time” and relationships with some of the older kids. We were there for three full days, coming back to Austin on the 3rd of July.

Everyone seemed to have a great time. We slept in primitive cabins with no AC, but the Lord blessed us with incredibly cool weather for this time of year. We even got a few showers some days. The foundation is on the Frio river, and our particular campsite was on a beautiful stretch of river surrounded by cliffs with a swimming area called The Bluehole. It was so picturesque and incredibly fun. We spent a lot of time swimming, hiking, and hanging out playing volleyball and basketball. We also took one day to do a float down the Frio River in inner tubes. The water was lower than normal for the float, but it was still a good time.

The last two days of camp seemed to go by very quickly. The campers and leaders really got accustomed to the daily schedule and things seemed to go very smoothly. Each day starts with breakfast, and then an activity rotation. After lunch and two more activities, the whole camp gathers below the dining hall for a time that the campers can display a “talent” or goof around. It is very encouraging for the kids to get recognition and applause for something they can do. After dinner and a time of group games, the night service is the last event before bedtime.

As I have mentioned before, we have been showing videos with leader interviews about our theme for the day. I hope to be able to link to them or post them at some point. Also during the night service is a slide show which goes through pictures of the kids at their various activities during the day. The campers love to see their faces up on the screen and yell and cheer for their friends. There is also a time where our “light lady” recognizes campers that did an exceptional job during the week. They get to be drawn on with highlighter and then “shine” under black lights. The basis for light lady is for the kids have their light shine, from Matthew 5:16. Tim Jr. talks briefly to the campers before they finally go to bed. I really felt that the campers were able to connect to the words that Tim spoke, and it was clear that many were thinking about the topics as evidence from their conversations with leaders and their prayer requests.

Other than a few wasp stings, and one little boy that had an infected cut, there were very few medical issues all week long. Lots of kids were able to catch some big fish during their fishing time, and the new archery slot was by and large a big success. The waterfront is home to three activities, being fishing, canoeing and swimming. In the swimming area is also a blob, which is a lot of fun to launch people off of into the water. On Friday I helped “double blob” a few leaders with Sean, the youth pastor from Hope in the City. It was good stuff.

The interesting thing about Camp Nikos is that is it a revealing time for all who participate. I know the Lord taught me many things over the week. I pray that He will continue to reveal himself to me so that I will know Him intimately, just as we spoke to the campers about the very same thing. I pray that I will be able to hear His voice. And I pray that I will be able to trust Him in everything.

Praise our King! For He is real and wants to be known! He can be heard, and can be trusted!

First of all I want to apologize for the lack of posts and pictures over the last two days and yesterday. The internet connection was less than reliable, and things were really busy as well. Over all, the camp went extremely smoothly and was a lot of fun. I’ll try to make a more detailed couple of posts later today and/or tomorrow with details!

Yesterday we talked about how God can be and wants to be known by his people. The theme verse was James 4:8. The campers and leaders are starting to form some meaningful relationships as they discuss the theme and participate together through daily activities. It’s great to see them walking down trails together, singing verses and clearly becoming comfortable as good pals. Most of the guys really enjoy fishing, swimming, and ropes. It was really hot, but everyone is being careful to drink a lot of water and stay in the shade when possible. 

Yesterday was the first full day of Nikos. The theme for the day was “God is Real.” Throughout the day, the leaders and campers went to many activities including fishing, canoeing, swimming, ropes, archery, and crafts. All the groups have settled into the “camp groove” and things seem to be going well. I have tried to touch base with as many guy leaders as I could during the day. Almost all of them are very excited and say that their kids are doing great. The campers are participating in songs and verses and really engaging during teaching. Joan made a fantastic video that we showed at the night service about how God is real. It interviewed several of the group leaders so they were able to share from their point of view how they know God is real. The campers really connect with their leaders especially, and their attention is held well by video. They are all learning their verses which is so exciting!

Yesterday Cheryl and about 8 others left for Austin after breakfast to go get the campers. We went over the arrival procedures with the rest of the camp and got set up so camp would be ready. About an hour before their arrival, we gathered to pray and be silent before the Lord. It was a sweet time to prepare hearts before the campers got here.

Everything went very smoothly during the pickup in Austin, and the total number of kids came out to be 94. That is a great number and makes for good ratios of leaders to campers. The arrival process went well, and the leaders were able to quickly find their campers and get settled down.

The evening went well, with dinner and a fun night service with lots of songs. The campers are all very excited to be here. Pray that the leaders and campers will be able to maintain that level of excitement throughout the week. The campers have learned their first memory verse: Psalm 73:28. It is the theme verse for camp this week.

The first night is often the most difficult, but most of the guys were able to quiet down and get to sleep quickly. One girl cabin had a little more trouble, but eventually got to sleep. Pray for rest for both campers and leaders as energy is needed for all the fun activities throughout the day.

I’ll send an update later today on the first full day of camp!

Today we did the bulk of our training with the tent and cabin leaders. We were able to tie up most of the things that needed to be covered. It was pretty hot, so I would assume that this whole week will be kind of toasty. Pray that everyone will drink plenty of water throughout the week, since most medical issues during the week relate to dehydration.

The few guy leaders came around today, and they will be sticking around. Pray that they will continue to have a good attitude and that the Lord will use them this week.

Tomorrow will be a hectic day. I feel that we have things planned out pretty well though. There will be a large group heading back into Austin to pick up the campers. Pray for their safety. Pray for their discernment and the organization of the registration as it is often a little bit crazy. They will be leaving around 10:00am and arriving at camp at 4:00pm.