Midway through Teen Boys' Camp - Prayer Requests

Wednesday, August 1, 2012  -  The capping event of Wednesday evening was chapel, at which Mr. Mark challenged us to look squarely at what kind of king Jesus is and determine whether he is a King worthy of following. Two very meaningful videos that explored aspects of the wondrous power and love of Christ caught the boys' attention and staff reported significant conversations at devotions afterward as the boys reflected on the videos and message.

Yet despite there being many boys who were listening intently and soaking up the message, there were also a number of boys who pridefully refused to listen and mocked the message. Please pray that God will pursue these boys' hearts and win them. We know that it is His will for them to be redeemed and rescued by Him, but we also know that Satan wants to encourage them in their pride and will do whatever he can to close their ears and hearts. Please pray for protection from spiritual attack here at camp, and that evil would have no power in these boys' hearts, but would cower and flee before the presence of Christ.

Thank you again for joining with us in prayer and expectation. At their meeting Wednesday, the counselors had these additional specific prayer requests and praises to share with you:

•  Camper G has been struggling with unexpected breathing problems, and despite going to the clinic in Warsaw and the hospital in Clinton, the problems were not resolvable. He will be headed home today and is sad to be missing out on the rest of camp, as this is his first year at camp. Please pray that this will not discourage him from returning next year, and also that God will stir the heart of a staff member to stay in contact with this awesome boy throughout the year in Kansas City.
• Counselor B is thankful for your prayers and wants to report that God has answered them in the form of the blessing of a good night's sleep for him and in an easing of the pain in his knee.
• Please pray for his Camper L who is not eating for unknown reasons. He also wants to share this cool anecdote with you: One of our kitchen staff this week, who was a teen boy camper in this counselor's cabin two years ago, came in during devotions and the campers were very interested in the counselor and this staff member's testimonies. The staff member shared how that year in Counselor B's cabin was what shaped his own walk with God. He is dishwashing this week, and Counselor B talked through how hard kitchen work is, what a sacrifice that is, and how he has a passion for serving the boys even in difficult ways. The campers were super into this conversation, and several campers this week have expressed their excitement to return to camp as staff someday!
• Counselor N is excited that devotions went well in his cabin and that what he had planned to talk about with his boys matched up exactly with what Mr. Mark had talked about: what it means to be a man. One of his campers, Camper C, has requested that we pray that God will change the campers' hearts, including his own.
• Counselor J also reported that his cabin got to talk about being an ordinary man, and worked through the idea that Christianity is not just a bunch of rules. Camper D is probably the hardest struggle in his cabin because he doesn't want to participate.
• Counselor D is feeling really hammered physically, and is worried that it's expressing itself emotionally. He is also feeling an unnatural heaviness, so please pray for his spiritual protection. His campers aren't defiant, but need many reminders and are annoying. Pray for the patience of Christ to be revealed in his responses to his campers. Praise God for devotion conversations about glorifying God with our actions and for good responses from the campers. It has been truly exciting to see the way that counselors have been openly and sacrificially sharing their lives with the campers and in doing so have been revealing Christ in their hearts in compelling ways.
• Counselor C is physically exhausted, but his campers are very worn down too. Camper C in particular will be a challenge today because of his tiredness. Some of the quieter campers, however, are asking surprising and smart questions.
• Thank you again for your prayers for Counselor J's devotions, because they went way better Tuesday night and the boys were excited to talk. Camper M even asked to share his own testimony and did so with the other campers. At 6:45 am, this same camper was up reading his bible in Psalm 148 and said "I had no idea you could praise God with singing." Pray for Camper C's health; after what seemed to be a minor injury Tuesday he has been complaining a lot and we're not sure how seriously to take it.
• Praise that Counselor R saw a significant change between Monday and Tuesday's devotions. One camper in particular completely switched from not wanting to even be at camp, to being super attentive and engaging. Please pray for unity and camaraderie between his campers.
• Counselor J didn't sleep again last night, and would appreciate your prayers for rest, and for focus for his campers during devotions.
• Counselor S has an extremely quiet group, but, thanks be to God, devotions is when they start talking. He is thankful for Camper J, who is the voice of the group, for Camper T, who didn't want to come but is now having a great time, and for God's healing of his health, especially his throat.
• Counselor P also has a quiet group, but they are starting to come out of their shells. Camper A was flagged for anger problems, but he has been doing really awesome. Please pray for responsiveness and discussion in their devotions, despite the boys' chill attitudes.
• Counselor M is thankful for the love God has given him for each of his boys, and for the way that God has prepared him perfectly for these boys: "Each stage of my life that I've been through, I see in my boys." Please join us in fervent prayer for Camper A, who exploded yesterday and had to be restrained by four staff, he has been fighting with his father at home and is now rejecting God and camp. Please also pray for Camper R, who is asking for more proof of God and is struggling to have the faith to trust God. Additionally, you can pray for Camper S, who rededicated his life to God, but still wants to keep the ways of the world. Pray that he would be transfixed by the beauty of Jesus so that he can say with Paul, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."
• Finally, thank God with us that Camper Z has been recognizing his sin in the aftermath of discipline; please pray for this to turn to repentance and salvation.

Week Six - Teen Boys’ Camp

Monday, July 30, 2012  -  It's finally time for Teen Boys' Camp! This is the final week of camp down in Warsaw, and it is by far the most energetic and action-packed week of the entire summer!

On Monday morning 44 teenage boys arrived at camp, many of them excited returners. The staff greeted them exuberantly as they climbed off the bus, and after a great lunch and introductory chapel we plunged immediately into activities. The pool was a popular place this afternoon, with everyone appreciating the opportunity to cool off. However, the pool is definitely not a restful place at Teen Boys' Camp; every swimming time inevitably morphs into a massive counselors versus campers dunking competition!

Following afternoon swim time, cabin groups bonded over The Great Race, a series of unique competitive events that require precision, speed, and most importantly, teamwork. Teams had to do everything from launching water balloons at a target to rolling cookies down their faces into their mouths.

The evening continued with dinner and s'mores down at the lake and lots of lake activities: swimming, canoeing, paddleboating, kayaking, fishing, lake trampolining, and wrestling on our new-this-season-and-already-well-loved "Battle Barge" dock.

When it finally got too dark to keep playing, the boys returned to the campfire for worship and teaching. One of our counselors, Mr. Ronnie, shared his testimony, which was an incredible opportunity for the boys to connect with his story and get a glimpse of what the gospel means for real life.

Please be praying this week for open hearts for the boys, for opportunities for them to see the counselors and staff as real people with stories very much like their own, and for the boys to honestly evaluate who rules their lives and who deserves to rule their lives. Pray that they will see our King Jesus in all of his majesty, beauty, and authority!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012  -  Tuesday was another action-packed day of soaking up all that camp has to offer with our teen boy campers. The boys began their skill lessons today; they have each chosen an activity (canoeing, swimming, or archery) to work on all week and develop some advanced skills. They also began working with Mr. Kesner, our craft director, on a week-long project of crafting their own personalized belts out of leather strips.

Tuesday night is centered around an activity that is arguably the most anticipated of the entire week: the Egg War. Staff and campers face off in the woods in an epic game of Capture the Flag in which the method of getting a player out is to hit and splatter them with a raw egg. The boys (and the more adventurous staff) love it!

After much-needed showers, we returned to the chapel for worship and more solid teaching from Mr. Mark. He spoke about an extraordinary man, King Saul, who refused to allow God to rule his life and was destroyed by his own pride and sin, and an ordinary man, David, who was a repentant sinner redeemed by an extraordinary God for God's own honor and glory. He challenged the boys to consider what it means to be a man, and particularly what it means to be an ordinary man in the hands of an extraordinary God. After speaking through Mr. Mark, God then spoke powerfully to the boys through Mr. Mark, one of our rec staff this week, who shared his testimony with the boys as they listened raptly. It was so encouraging once again to see the boys get to experience this strong Christian staff member as a real person, just like them, a broken sinner who has been chosen and redeemed by a great God. Mr. Mark's sincerity as he urged the boys to follow Christ as their King and honor him with their lives was obvious, and several counselors reported great conversations at their devotions afterward and praised God for a developing mutual openness between campers and staff as they slowly build relationships.

Finally, we are all so thankful to the Lord for Monday night devotions, in which several campers were asking important questions. It seems like this is happening more than in other years, which is very exciting!