What a way to start the week!

Journal – From Wednesday, July 18

First, an update from Monday evening.  A girl camper accepted the Lord Monday night.  This is very unusual for first day of camp.  We look forward to great things!

Counselors are seeing amazing attitudes from campers.  There seems to be a much higher-than-usual unity in many cabins, at least in these first days of the week.  For example, one cabin has a camper (V) with special needs, which could set the stage for teasing or worse.  Instead, the other girls in the cabin are rallying around her, taking special care of her.  When she signed up for a different activity than the other girls in the cabin, they were really concerned about her – “who will watch out for V if we’re not with her?”  Please pray that this love toward V continues through the week. 

In one of the boys cabins, there’s a camper who is 6 feet tall, and one who’s on the shorter end of the distribution.  Again, the stage was set for unkind behavior, but instead, the big camper shows leadership in treating the smaller camper with kindness. 

And a third story – camper K was playing on a seesaw with another girl.  The other girl unexpectedly jumped off the seesaw, and you know what happened.  Camper K was quickly on the ground.  She had been showing signs of attitude issues, and her counselor could imagine the cabin unity crashing with the seesaw.  But instead, the explosion never came.  Camper K laid on her back quietly until she got enough control to tell the other girl that it was OK.  She chose not to respond in anger.  Trust us, these things are amazingly, beautifully unusual, and it’s clear God is working.  DON’T STOP PRAYING!

 More praises:

• Counselor M is feeling better and was able to be back in her role again on Tuesday.
• Counselors J and B were able to share the gospel with their campers Monday evening, and the campers were asking good questions.
• Another cabin of boys is really motivated and doing exceptionally well at their Bible memory work.
• As a result of chapel teaching Monday evening, one girl camper wrote in her diary a list of characteristics of a man worthy of giving her heart to.
• One boy camper is thankful that “God is bigger than the rent my mom has to pay by herself”.
• In devotions, camper A asked his assistant counselor, “Did he (counselor) just say that we ALL deserve to go to hell?”  This is a camper who has been disengaged, but this was evidence that he is listening.
• After chapel, campers in a boys cabin were asking good questions about worship, and then they wanted to worship.
• Cabin of girls are becoming friends, not just girls who spend a week together.
• Cabin of girls opening up after a fun physical activity, and counselors getting to know some of the girls who had been quieter.
• One girls cabin went through the whole book of Esther with their counselors, and they had great questions.
• One cabin of girls is really proud of knowing their memory verses, and they have been quizzing each other on their own.
• Another cabin of girls had internalized their cabin rules and were “policing” each other (in a positive way) when their counselors were both away and another adult was with them. 
• ALL the boys were participating in worship Tuesday night.  That almost never happens.

Prayer requests:

• Campers K and G are still not getting along.  Please continue to pray for grace for their counselors and for peace in the cabin.  (But camper G started Wednesday in a positive mood – praise God.)
•  Pray for camper J to get enough rest and be motivated to participate with the group.
• Pray that camper K would put others before himself and respect and obey his counselor more quickly.
• Pray that camper T would not be apathetic, but instead enjoy his time at camp.
• Pray that camper D (and others) would be able to focus during devotions and chapel time, and would increase his understanding of the word of God.
• Counselors J and B ask for prayer for energy, sleep, wisdom, and the ability to teach clearly.
•  Pray for continued positive attitudes in the cabins.  Sometimes this doesn’t last.
• Pray that camper J would seek unity with the rest of his cabin, and they would continue to unite around a common goal.
• Pray for wisdom and patience for all the counselors as they deal with issues, and for enough rest.
• Finally, please keep praying with us for chances to share the gospel with campers – revival!