Nikos Camps

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.

(I wrote this last night but there was no internet connection to use at the time.)

Well, we made it over to camp today without many problems. Some other staff and a few leaders from the area all met at Tim Pinson’s house and we took a few vehicles over to Rosebud.

The group of leaders this year looks to be pretty strong. There is a nice mix of returning leaders and new ones. We got through some training and got to know one another. The main theme of camp has been presented, and I’m very excited about it. The focus is very different from other camps, and really presents so much freedom to act in the Lord without the confines of a secular or otherwise rigid theme. (Not that the other themes were bad, but I feel like the theme this year has a much more simple and yet powerful meaning and application.) Pray that the Lord will use the hard work of those who have put it together to glorify his name.

Already we have been presented with several obstacles. The first of which is a new cabin that the staff here has built to replace one of the older cabins. This new cabin is very nice. It is fully enclosed with large bunks and air conditioning. It also has built in bathrooms with showers. While this seems like an exciting new addition, it might in fact prove to be rather troublesome for the girl leaders and campers. Normally they use all 4 cabins that have been here for several years. These older cabins have no AC, concrete floors, and no attached bathroom. They also have very old bunks and mattresses. Due to our numbers and the fact that there are 3 old cabins and only ONE new cabin, the girls will experience that which is commonly referred to as something that is “not fair.” Simply put, many girls will be quite jealous of the few that get to use the new cabin, but there is little we can do about it. If we could, we wouldn’t allow anyone to use the new cabin, but our numbers won’t allow that. So please pray for the leaders and campers because the situation could get ugly if it is allowed to spiral down a certain path.

Also, we have a few guy leaders who were asked to do something tonight referring to sleeping arrangements within the guy tents. It was an inconvenient request for them, but their response was far more extreme than I would have thought. The attitudes presented tonight were, frankly, those of campers, not leaders. So pray that there will be reconciliation and a change in attitude and heart.

Pray that I will be able to connect with some of the guys on a personal and spiritual level. It will be easy for me to simply spend more time and effort on the leaders that I know or those in which I find it easy to be around. I think the Lord would have greater purposes than simply that.