Sew and Swim

This was "Spring Break" for our students. After camp we had several more days of holiday and wanted to add a little more fun. Our friend, Linda Frodesen, arrived two days after camp and we put her right to work. Friday and Saturday she conducted sewing classes for some of our camp girls. What fun! I'm not sure who had more fun - Linda or the girls. There were seven of our girls who came and the pictures tell the rest of the story. None of them had ever used a sewing machine before, but they learned quickly and soon had a finished product to take home with them. They were so proud of their little bags. The comment was repeated, "Now, we're going to town." At first I thought they really were going to town so I offered to drop them off in town. Then, they all laughed, "We don't have any money.... we just look like we're going to town." They are adorable!

Thank you Lord

Youth camp was a great success and we felt very good about the entire experience. We stepped out in faith big time asking for sponsorship for the camp. Have you ever felt so strongly that something was just right - you have to take a leap and make this happen? Well, raising thousands of dollars for youth camp sponsorship was like jumping off the cliff to us. But.... of course.... our wonderful partners listened and responded with compassion and love and many young people experienced the Father's love like never before in their lives. THANK YOU! We are still flying high.

Heart of the Father

From Thursday August 27th to Sunday August 30th we hosted a youth camp. The theme of the camp was “Hearts on Fire”. Our focus was to help the kids understand that the heart of Father God is kind and generous and compassionate toward them and they are His precious sons and daughters.
From the first day we knew that this camp was going to be special. Thursday was spent introducing them to the Father and helping them understand how He is a father to all those who choose to accept Him. Friday was spent revealing what our role is as a son or daughter of God and what the rewards are. On Saturday we spent time sharing with them how to build their relationship with the Father.
Saturday things began to really change in the hearts of the young people. That morning I shared my testimony and my rocky relationship with my earthly father. I then shared how God, my heavenly Father, healed me and my earthly father and restored our relationship. I also shared that they had to let go of all the pain, hurt, suffering, regrets, resentment and whatever else they were feeling in order to have a meaningful relationship with the Father.
During quite times and throughout the day many of these kids talked to the leaders about their relationship with their earthly fathers. These kids began to open their hearts and reveal the stuff that had been holding them back from the Father. One young man shared with me how abusive his father was and how he left home and went to live with his grandmother. His father asked him to come home but he refused because he did not want to get beaten and hurt anymore. Many years later he heard that his father had changed and began going to church but he still refused to go home. Time passed and he received news that his father had died. Now he not only had the hurt from what his father did to him but he realized that he felt terrible because he never got to ask his dad to forgive him for leaving home and for never letting his Dad back into his life.
As he shared his story with me I was just praying that God would use me to help this young man surrender the pain and the guilt to God. I spoke with him for about 40 minutes and told him I was available if he wanted to talk some more.
That night the speaker, Eric Garnie, told us he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to offer these young men and women the opportunity to receive a fathers blessing over their lives. Eric asked if I would be willing to stand in as a father and offer a father’s blessing on anyone who wanted to receive it. I was standing up front with Eric as he explained what we were going to do. When He finished explaining he asked the kids to sit for a few minutes and when they were ready they could come forward to receive a father’s blessing.
What happened next profoundly changed my life. Of the 37 students attending the camp roughly 30 came forward. For over an hour Eric and I had the incredible privilege to give a father’s blessing to these kids. They were so hungry to hear words of affirmation and to be loved. We blessed them, prayed and cried with these kids. The presence of the Lord was so real; you couldn’t miss it. The Father poured out His love through us into each student that came forward. While the kids stood in line waiting their turn they held, cried and comforted each other.
I was so overwhelmed at the hunger these kids showed to be loved. I am still moved to tears as I write this over how God the Father touched the hearts of the students.
On Sunday we made time for the students to share what they experienced at camp and every single one of them that shared talked about how the blessing they received the night before had changed them. We saw hearts changed, healed, restored and on fire for the Lord.
I wish we could share every story but there is no way to put into words what happened. I can share that the student that I talked to Saturday morning stood up on Sunday morning and said that he forgave his father for all that he had done to him. He also said that he now knows that he will be a good husband and a father because he has his Heavenly Father to help him. He thanked me for giving him a father’s blessing.
I will never be the same again. I know God has us here for a reason and this camp was one of those reasons. Thank you to all who prayed for the camp and who sponsored kids to come to the camp.
To end with the greatest news of all - we had 12 students make a decision for Christ and many others rededicated their life to Christ. We were able to give away eight study Bibles, which were received with big smiles. A few of them have little new testaments, but now at least eight of them have the entire Bible. Halleluiah! We are flying high today!