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!
Friday, January 30, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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
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
--------------------------------------
¡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.)
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
--------------------------------------
¡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.)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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!
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.
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.
Monday, January 19, 2009
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.
…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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Camp Amazon has started!
Camp Amazon Opens with 106 Campers!
FIRST DAY OF CAMP!
Dios es bueno! Todo al tiempo! All the time! God is good!
It is the first day of camp and we hit the ground running. The guides and leadership arrived at the church ready for what God had in store. With marching orders handed out, the kids began to arrive… early! They were so excited they just couldn't wait to be there. And for this being the grand opening of Camp Amazon, things went surprisingly smooth!
The coaches and leadership blew things out of the water! They were carrying kids, laughing, playing, welcoming them with open arms and caring hearts. We were so impressed at how the Lord was shining through them.
The energy quickly trickled down to the campers as they were playing in the youth area of the church and getting to know each other. As we loaded the buses, the campers were waving goodbye to all the parents, anxiously awaiting the trip to camp. Any time one of the buses would pass another, the kids went crazy cheering and laughing back and forth. The pull into camp was so exciting to see as this property just came to life. Kids exited and headed to their cabins. We then gathered in La Maloca (equivalent to our Sanctuary) to sing, cheer, and welcome the campers to Camp Amazon!
After our big group photo in front of La Maloca, it was time (what time?) for lunch! No yellow meal in Iquitos… these kids were chompin' on some rice, beans, beef, fried bananas and star fruit juice! There will be a short F.O.B. (Siesta) and then activities begin. We are about to leave so we'll have to get further updates later from Drew. What a privilege it has been to see this vision come to life.
Please pray for no homesick campers, for plenty of fun (Don't Waste Fun!), and most importantly, changed lives for Jesus Christ. May His kingdom grow as we work diligently for the Lord in Peru! Until later … Adios hermanos y hermanas!
FIRST DAY OF CAMP!
Dios es bueno! Todo al tiempo! All the time! God is good!
It is the first day of camp and we hit the ground running. The guides and leadership arrived at the church ready for what God had in store. With marching orders handed out, the kids began to arrive… early! They were so excited they just couldn't wait to be there. And for this being the grand opening of Camp Amazon, things went surprisingly smooth!
The coaches and leadership blew things out of the water! They were carrying kids, laughing, playing, welcoming them with open arms and caring hearts. We were so impressed at how the Lord was shining through them.
The energy quickly trickled down to the campers as they were playing in the youth area of the church and getting to know each other. As we loaded the buses, the campers were waving goodbye to all the parents, anxiously awaiting the trip to camp. Any time one of the buses would pass another, the kids went crazy cheering and laughing back and forth. The pull into camp was so exciting to see as this property just came to life. Kids exited and headed to their cabins. We then gathered in La Maloca (equivalent to our Sanctuary) to sing, cheer, and welcome the campers to Camp Amazon!
After our big group photo in front of La Maloca, it was time (what time?) for lunch! No yellow meal in Iquitos… these kids were chompin' on some rice, beans, beef, fried bananas and star fruit juice! There will be a short F.O.B. (Siesta) and then activities begin. We are about to leave so we'll have to get further updates later from Drew. What a privilege it has been to see this vision come to life.
Please pray for no homesick campers, for plenty of fun (Don't Waste Fun!), and most importantly, changed lives for Jesus Christ. May His kingdom grow as we work diligently for the Lord in Peru! Until later … Adios hermanos y hermanas!
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