We had 297 campers, 5 Ministry & Leadership Training campers, and 66 Family Camp participants! There were 705 rides taken down our zip line and 176 climbs up our tree climb. We also had 75 groups stay on grounds during the course of the summer camp season. It was a busy summer of ministry!
12 campers gave their lives to Christ for the first time this summer! About 48 campers recommitted their lives to the Lord. Here are some of the other commitments campers wrote on their evaluations:
- Try not to blame God for bad things that happen to me
- Read the Bible more
- Be a better friend
- Read more of Bible
- I decided to have overflowing joy
- To be more faithful in my prayer life
- I decided to witness more to my family and friends
- I have committed to reading my devotional everyday
- Take time off social media more
- To be still before God in the midst of my busy life through prayer, devotions and journaling
Our theme this year was “Space Quest.” Through the camp speakers and cabin devotions, campers learned about how God is the creator of the whole entire universe and he cares about us! Here are some of the answers to the question “What was the most important thing you learned?”
- God will always be faithful
- Do not be afraid to tell about Jesus
- That God made us for a reason
- Gods favorite creation is us
- People might look different but inside we are the same
- The truth is in the Bible
- Always listen to God
- That we can pray anytime we want to pray
- God is so powerful and big, He can speak and something happens
- That God can hold all the water in his hand that’s in the earth and to God we look like grasshoppers
- Even our greatest acts are not good enough to get into heaven; we need Jesus
- That words are powerful and God is an amazing creator
- Jesus loves you even though we sin and make mistakes
- That I was not a mistake
- If we are willing to live for Jesus, we must also be willing to die for Him
- I learned that I am accepted by God, my identity is in Christ, my purpose is to serve the Lord, and my security is found in Jesus.
- I finally came to fully understand that I shouldn’t fill the hole in my heart that God should fill
We also asked the campers for any prayer requests before they left. Here are some of the things campers mentioned:
- My grandma because she will be having surgery
- My aunt and uncle and two cousins who are not Christians
- My family to accept Jesus
- Help me focus more on God
- Mom with Lyme’s disease
- For my faith to grow stronger
- Brother who is back in Iraq…that he would find salvation
- That dad accepts Jesus into his heart
- Let God lead me to do the right thing always
- For my dad and uncle to get along
- My dad will come home
- My grandma with lung cancer
- For my parent’s relationship to get better
- For me to stay constant no matter the crowd
- To spend more time with God daily
- My family as they struggle to find their way/accept Christ into their hearts
- That I would get adopted
- Courage to share the gospel
Please be in prayer for these requests and all our campers, their families and our staff as they head into a new school year. Pray that as they face challenges and come down off the ‘spiritual high’ they may have experienced at camp, they would know that God is with them all the time and He cares about them!
