Well, the first week of camp is officially over....and we all survived!
Most of us were running on pure adrenaline, excitement, or nervousness (for the new ones!). Either way, the staff started strong and finished the same way. I know there were MANY campers that made decisions for Christ.....it was a fruitful week!

The week started off with our Monday afternoon carnival.....it keeps the campers busy their first few hours after arriving. The activities ranged from jump rope, darts, bb guns, and their favorite....the dunk tank! Then, after a brief orientation and a yummy spaghetti dinner, we all played Red Light, Green Light and then a massive game of hide and go seek!!! It was a great start to the week.
Tuesday was our first 'full' day of camp....and with that came the first of our morning chapels, activity classes and afternoon free times. We also enjoyed a 50 person pillow fight and then a water fight that included the whole camp....over 150 people!!! The water wasn't that cold but the wind made it MUCH colder to stand around soaking wet!
Wednesday and Thursday had more of the same and also included a picnic out in the woods, a HUGE tug of war contest (which the girls won both times), a 100 person game of Simon Says, Mission Impossible, Skit Night and a late night campfire.
Friday came and we wrapped up things with a rocket launch, a fun Awards Chapel, a flash mob and root beer floats. And more importantly, every child left with the knowledge of who God is, what He has done for us and how very much He loves us. Many made decisions to accept this beautiful gift of love this week.....what a wonderful sight to see!

But even with all the tears of joy shed over watching these little ones give their life to Christ, there were some tears of sorrow mixed in.
On Thursday night, after we finished off our skit night with some powerful presentations of the Gospel, many, MANY campers stayed afterwards to talk with their counselors about how to receive Christ. As usual, I was standing in the back, available if anyone needed help, and getting slightly choked up with the scene unfolding in front of me. It's always a wonderful thing to witness and makes it all worth it.
But as I was standing there, Steve came up and shared some terrible news....one of our staff member's sister had just committed suicide. She lived in CA, had struggled with depression for quite some time and the saddest part of all.....she did not know the Lord. My heart was instantly broken and I was overcome with a great sadness.....sadness for my dear friend who had just lost a loved one, but also sadness for the fact that she had just entered an eternity without accepting this free gift of salvation we had just seen presented in skits and given in detail by these hard working counselors sitting in front of me.
This sadness followed me the rest of the evening and all the way to campfire.....that's when it hit me especially hard. As I heard camper after camper stand up and announce they had given their life to Christ that week....some just hours before....about the same time this other person had taken their life.....I could not get the feeling of loss and sadness out of my head. Here I should be rejoicing with each and every camper that stood and announced their profession, but all I could think about was the one that had rejected it and now faces an eternity full of fire, burning and torment. It all reminded me for the small little parable, tucked away in the gospels about the shepherd who went looking for that one lost sheep.....leaving the others, knowing they were safe, to go and look for the one that had strayed. That sheep consumed His thoughts.....
I think I finally understood it....the burden for the lost.....the consuming grief that comes with the reality that some will walk away from the Truth. Even if 99 campers came to know the Lord and now have assurance of their eternity with Jesus, the one that got away will always be in the back of my mind.

Now don't get me wrong, I definitely rejoice that we had such a fruitful and productive week....that kids are now going home to their difficult situations with a new measure of hope and confidence.....it is an amazing thing to be a part of. But help us never to be satisfied with a "profitable" number....help us always to feel that heavy burden for the lost....and to never 'relax' in our position as ministers of the Gospel. Although I am sure I will feel that heavy grief of loss again someday, I pray that I will work tirelessly to NOT experience it! Lord, give me strength, endurance and perseverance in this ministry you have place me in.....and continue to burden my heart for the lost....have mercy on us all.....