Sunday, July 02, 2006

Camp OUTT over

I am quite behind in finishing up about Camp OUTT, but not because it isen't close to my heart! I wish camp lasted all summer and that I could feel like I was utilizing every breath and every sweat gland to serve the Lord! :) A graphic thought, I know, but so true!
Full time camp has ended, so now all we have is a weekly Wednesday camp, which is such small fries in comparison!
We ended up having a multitude of spiritual talks with our campers, and one boy was saved! It was a wonderful afternoon, in that final week! My co-worker, Christen, had been praying so hard for a kid to be ready, and she felt strongly that this boy (we'll call him B) was ready! We had lots of one-on-one conversations with kids who weren't ready. But you just have to trust Jesus that we planted seeds and tried to be faithful with presenting the word.
Update on Leo . . . we had trouble, trouble, trouble with him, including a VERY strenuous after noon with Daniel (teen helper) and I both restraining him from destroying property, and he was still fighting against us, trying to kick and bite us. It's like when the rage takes over, there is nothing else. He is very loving usually. I have a sore place in my heart each time I think of him, because I feel so bad about how horrible his home life is, and we had to kick him out for a couple of days. But I know the Lord gave us wisdom when we needed it, and He will be faithful to water whatever seed was planted in his heart. (though the haunting thought of him bawling "I wanna come back tomorrow! I'll be good! I have FUN here!" is enough to send ME to tears!

Praise the Lord for His blessings and mercy! I wish I had a hundred summers to have Camp OUTT! Thank you, Jesus for such an excellent and dynamic staff! Christen and Mandy sacrificed so much to help me, and Emily, Daniel, Caleb, Brittany, and Mariah worked so hard without complaint! Everybody should have such a great team as this! Also, Josh and James took a load off us by preparing lessons and trekking over each morning to preach to the kids! It was excellent content on the "Hidden Treasures" -- parables that explain salvation. I loved the way it was evangelistically focused in a new and refreshing way!

So, even though Camp OUTT is not TOTALLY over, I feel a sense of peace that Christ has been present and actively in charge, utilizing this ministry for His glory!

1 comment:

Sarah said...

I love your heart for our God, Gretchen! It is so cool to read about the stuff that you guys organized and the influences that were had on those kids. Keep it up!