Power and Presence
Today was the second day of camp, and everyone was as energetic as ever. The campers never seem to run out of energy—when I woke up at 7:00 am they were already out playing basketball, soccer, and volleyball—and the local leaders match their excitement with chants and cheers. It seems that from the moment they wake up to the minute they fall asleep, the kids are playing games, singing, and dancing together. I’m sure some of it is because of the fun camp spirit, but knowing that these kids don’t have parents who are present in their lives every day, makes the joy and excitement that they exude even more impressive. God’s Spirit is at work in them.
The team is doing well, apart from Nate’s illness. He no longer has a fever, but your continual prayers are greatly appreciated so he will be able to lead the puppet shows and participate in this formational trip with the rest of us. Some of us are still adjusting to the time difference of nine hours, but we are all getting relatively good sleep – thank God for melatonin tablets – and we’re all being very well fed.
I shared my testimony this morning during the leaders meeting, which was a little scary, but it went well. I am also leading skits along with Judy, who directed today’s skit on the Parable of the Lost Sheep. She was able to recruit some of the campers to act in the skit, making it more engaging as it wasn’t just us Americans performing. I love the skits because they are a wonderful visual introduction to the day’s Bible story, and they prepare the campers for our small group discussions.
Parable of the Lost Sheep skit
Matthew and kids working on lost sheep craft
Speaking of small groups…today the group I’m part of was amazing! We spoke about the lost sheep, and how everyone wanders away from God, but He will never stop pursuing us. We asked them to raise their hands if they feel like they have not been found. Seven of the ten children raised their hands. Then, when we asked for prayer requests, those same children expressed their desire to receive Christ in their hearts! It was so beautiful. We intend to have follow-up conversations with each one to ensure their understanding of what it means to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in order to pray them through the decision. Seeing so many children express interest in receiving Christ at once warmed my heart and showed me the power and presence of God in this camp. It is truly spectacular what God has done in making this camp possible, and what He continues to do in the lives of our team members and the campers.
Matthew and his group, the Green Tigers