CAMP AMAZON SEASON 1 FINALE! GLORIA A DIOS!!

Well, first my apologies that it has been so long since the last blog. Our last 2 weeks, actually the entire season absolutely FLEW BY...but what a great time it was and it was exciting to get to see God provide the energy and love necessary to complete the season to His glory!

Week 6 finished up in great Camp Amazon fashion with lots of rain and muddy, happy kids!

Week 7 was an exciting finale as the T Bar M Timothy Team came down for the first 2 days of camp to boost our guides spirits, play in the mud with our kids, and witness the mighty work that God is using our Peruvian brothers and sisters to do here in Iquitos!

We finished the season of right with new activities all the way to the end. Check out our team building log bridge, designated "Puente Artemio!" Artemio is our servant hearted groundskeeper here and puente means bridge. Artemio and I got to spend some great time together as he educated me on canoing techniques and water construction in building this fun activity for the kids. Praise God for all those who helped build and rebuild this fun challenge course!

The guides worked hard up to the end and were loving on kids for the glory of God! Keep praying for more opportunities for Camp Amazon this year and as we prepare for Season 2 in 2010!

WEEK 6: Day 1!

Well WEEK 6 started with...MORE RAIN...of course! Evidently, it wouldn´t be Camp Amazon without a triple dose of rain. So we´re wet and muddy and having a great time again. This week is kind of special for us as we have many kids that have come in from some of the villages up the Amazon instead of those from right here in Iquitos. We´re so excited to have these kids who have been so limited in experiencing things outside their own pueblos! Of course, just like the rest they have bright, smiling faces and are loving life in the ritzy set up of Camp Amazon.

We started the week off right with an exciting game of ¨Guerra de Banderas¨ or flag wars that of course we play in the mud and get it all over! Pray for these kids as they play hard, eat well, and learn about the love of Christ in their lives...many for the very first time.

¨¡Cosa Loca!¨ (scream here)

Also, on a more serious note, please pray for Ronald (camp director) as he injured his shoulder in a fall today and the nurse is trying to determine the extent of damage.

LETTERS FROM CAMP AMAZON COACHES!

¡LOS AMAMOS!

This is for T Bar M...I´m very grateful to all of you and God because He has given me the privilege of being part of this team. The Camp Amazon program has changed my life a lot. It has taught me how to be more patient but at the same time that I can be energetic and funny for Christ.

I thank God for each one of you for the decision to build this camp. This camp is very important for me and all the kids here. God has shown me his will in a special way through this camp and I´m sure that all these kids are just as grateful for this camp. Here in Iquitos we´ve never had this kind of program before...and it has been new and amazing for all of us.

Thank you...God bless your lives in a double portion!

From Iquitos, Peru 2009
Rosa Aguilar Manzur
CAMP AMAZON

God bless you and thank you for your prayers
¡WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

WEEK 5: God Provides

The creative juices are flowing as we continue to find ways to have fun in and out of the rain. The CAMP AMAZON crew are learning to persevere and be creative in a climate that rains almost everyday. As we see kids smiling faces, begging to return, and most importantly…lives turning to Christ we know that God continues to work through this team in this first camp season.

The rainy day activities have been great as we try to balance indoor fun, rainy fun, muddy fun, and protecting the health of these remarkable kids. But it is always a joy to be able to run and play in the sun whether it be on the field, court or splashing in the water. Please pray for about 2 weeks of sun and fun at CAMP AMAZON and for the joy of the Lord to flow through these guides (coaches to us at T Bar M) as they play, work and teach these kids how to know and love God.

The kids continue to learn about how to have a relationship with God through spending these special days with their guides. You can see it in the joy they have in running up to them after each activity period for a high five and as many have started calling their guides “papito” (Daddy) or “mamita” (Mommy). I even get dubbed with the title of “Tio” (Uncle) Drew! The guides are cautious with these tender titles of affection but also have the opportunity to use them to explain a relationship with God. It also has the bonus affect of forcing our guides to reflect on their own relationship with Our Father and think about how they will teach and love their kids in the future. What a wise and loving God we have!

WEEK 4: Sun, Fun, Mud, and JUANITO!

Or Jaw - Knee! as most of us know him. That's right, we had a very special week here at Camp Amazon with mostly great weather and a special visit from Mr FUAGNEM himself with some much needed encouragement and enthusiasm for the staff down here.

We continue to have fun as God uses this amazing place and people to touch the lives of the children of Iquitos. The hillslide and surprise birthday party continue to be the big hits of camp but God had the spotlight this week as he used Johnny to demonstrate His love to these kids and coaches. The kids left here ready for the next adventure at Camp Amazon and asking when Juanito would be back!

Camp Amazon Week 4!

HALFWAY!! HERE COMES WEEK #4!

God has done amazing things in our first half of camp. Please pray that he will continue to work in the lives of these guides and use them to show Christ to the kids of this area. Please pray for health, strength and perseverance as these guides are challenged everyday in many ways to continue to serve Him!

Thanks so much for all the prayer support...it is definitely changing lives here!

Camper Story

Actually, a camper's uncle's story. My friend's nephew went to camp and when he returned my friend was anxious to find out about his experience at camp since he knew camp well but it was his nephew's first time. So, he immediately asked how it was and of course the response was great so he asked if he wanted to go back...at this his nephew hesitated and said "Si...pero no." (yes but no!)
Of course, my friend immediately wanted to know why but got no response. So he asked again do you want to go back, the same response. At this time the boy's father said, it's ok tell him why, again no response and again yes but no. Finally the father said tell him...the boy responded, "so sad."
This, of course, alarmed my friend and wanted further explanation. So he asked, "Was it fun?" "Yes, fun."
"Did you play and learn?"
"Yes"
Finally, "...but it's so sad. At the end I had to leave all my new friends...and that great bed."

Praise God for changed lives and open hearts!

More Week 3 Photos!

Felix Cumpleanos! Happy Birthday!

Think of your very first birthday party...I, like many, can't remember mine. But for some here in Iquitos their first birthday party is with us at camp. The last night of camp we have a "surprise" for the campers and when they find out it's a party they go CRAZY! and many start asking, "Whose is it?" Many think it's mine but when they find out it's for them they go crazy all over again. Check out the photos to see just how exciting it is to have someone celebrating with you!

Week 3 Update

We just finished our third week of camp, which means we’re half way through our first season of Camp Amazon.

It's raining every night and about every other day. We've lost the lower field to the river (though it's great to slide down the hill into the shallow pool there), and the big field is a giant mud pit. But my God is soooo good, the kids are being reached, it is awesome. We teach English a little every day, and last week we learned the song "My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty there is nothing my God cannot do". God has shown that to us every day: He is so big and there is nothing He cannot do. We have great games and are spreading God's word, and loving on kids that many have never seen before, Christ's way. It’s just amazing.

If you like all hearing all that just wait till you hear what I tell you tomorrow about the birthday party!

More from Our Guides at Camp Amazon!

Hola, soy Juanito!

Everyday I´m praying for you. I want Him to help you and give you His strength.

I would like to thank you all for your prayers. I especially would like to greet Phil and Mike.

I had a great time at the first week of camp. I got to know some great and CRAZY kids. We spent some awesome time together. I learned so much from these kids and thank God for His love and grace.

Thank you so much for all the advice that you gave during training.
God bless you.
Juanito

Letters from Coaches

¡Hola hermanos y hermanas, soy Felix!

God´s work is growing faster than expected here. My church has a goal to reach 1000 kids this year and now this project has become real and showing great success.

These kids are coming to Jesus´feet. Most of them are new to Jesus´power and they are being filled with the Holy Spirit. This is something like we´ve never seen before.

We´re so excited to see what God is going to do in the next camps. Neither rain or any other problem with the weather can stop God´s will...because GOD IS WITH US!

God bless you.
Felix

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¡Hola queridos amigos! (Hola dear friends)

I want to tell you I´m fine spiritually and physically however the second week of camp (we´re now in our 3rd) I felt like I could not do it anymore, but God has given me His great strength.

The 3rd week of camp I have 2 very "active" girls and I have almost lost my patience. But I felt so good to be with them; playing and laughing together.

I am learning so much about patience with these 2 girls...I love them so much.

Please, pray for me.

Best wishes to you. God bless you.
Your sister
Ruth
(Please pray for Ruth and her co, Rosa, also as they have a mentally challenged lady to work with this week as well as their "active" girls. They are doing an amazing job sharing Christ´s love with all of them.)

Week 3 Preliminary Report

Well, we started out a little smaller this week with only 56 kids but
we're making up for numbers with great enthusiasm! Pray for renewed
strength for our coaches as they continue to seek the Lord.
We bussed all the kids out to camp this morning as we do every week to
find that a light pole had fallen down at camp (termites are amazing
here.) Well, this means downed power lines where our busses normally
pull in to unload a bunch of wild hooligans. So we stopped the busses
outside the gates and let the kids blast through the gates in a new
direction...I think we've found a new, exciting way to introdue the
kids to CAMP AMAZON! Praise God, He works in amazing ways. (By the
way, the pole is back up, the lines are safe, and somehow we never
lost power...even though we didn't have it all last night before the
kids showed up...like I said He works in amazing ways.)
More to come!

Week 2 Update

Week 2 continues to be a blessing from the Lord! We prayed for no
rain from Monday to Thursday and He provided great weather all week.
Although everything is still extremely muddy...that just means we have
extreme fun time in the mud! Pray that the word will spread, God will
change these kids hearts and the parents will see the change and want
to know what amazing love could create this new attitude in their
child.

Week 1 In Review

COSA LOCA!...

…Woohoo!

Well, “Wild thing” definitely is the right description for our first week of camp. God blew away all of our expectations this week. Revealed a lot of our hearts, broke us down, exposed us and then allowed us to be part of His perfect will to reach out to 84 wild, screaming Peruvian kids for 4 amazing days! It was all that you have come to expect from camp…some of it was hard, we had to plan rainy days, we had to flex, we didn’t waste fun, we learned about our wonderful God, and many came to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Our leaders have definitely been placed by God and working to serve Him in every way possible, often through some difficult struggles and all of it in a new experience, doing a brand new job. Our mix of “guias” (or guides as we call our coaches down here) is incredible. Please pray for them as they learn how to serve the Lord and honor Him through their relationships with the campers and each other. God is truly teaching all of us amazing things through camp.

Ronald is soaking up information and gaining experience by the truckload and continues to do it with a smile on his face. Please pray as he learns the differences of relating to youth as compared to his experience with adults and married couples.

The campers were fired up with so many new games and experiences they couldn’t believe what was happening to them. When they went to their rooms for the first time some didn’t want to go play because of the excitement of the bunk beds with big, comfy mattresses. Of course, even with all the new games you can’t take the love of soccer out of these kids hearts so competition day was full of soccer and volleyball followed up by a huge race where they got soaking wet in different games all over camp…they loved every second.

It is so exciting to see God work in the lives of the campers and staff here at Camp Amazon. It is such a privilege to get to be part of His work here. Please pray that God will continue to work in the lives of our staff and these campers, that Satan will not be able to cause division in this place, and that all will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Thank you for all the ways you have supported this ministry, especially in prayer…keep it coming!

Pictures to come.

More pictures from the first week of Camp Amazon