Week 2, day 5

Week 2 is just a few hours from 'officially' being over.....by the end of breakfast tomorrow all the campers will be on their way home. Some of them will still "smell" of camp (those who chose NOT to take a shower all week)...some will still be singing worship songs,.....some will tell their parents about the cool "treasure hunt" we went on this week....some will show off the awards they won. Many are going home as new creatures, having accepted Christ as their Savior...praise the Lord! But my prayer is that ALL will be going home with something just as special....a deeper knowledge of God and a better understanding of His Word. I am realistic that not everyone will make a decision to accept Christ...that would be wonderful, but it doesn't usually happen. But hopefully those that did not chose to give their life to Christ, will at least go home with a better understanding of who He is and how much He loves them. We don't always get to see the "fruit" of our labor, sometimes we are just the beginning, the planting of the seed....sometimes we are just doing the watering.....and although the final product is not often seen in those steps, they are still very important. There is great patience needed in this ministry....that has taken me a while to learn. I want to see fruit right away....I used to be troubled when I would see kids leave here having NOT made a decision for Christ. But I have come to a place of peace with it...knowing that it is often a process....and I have learned to find joy in being a part of that process. The planting and the watering are just as important as being there for the harvest. What a privilege to have ANY part in presenting the Gospel!

Lord, help us not take for granted our part in Your work here....thank You for the many kids who did make the decision to give their life to You....thank You for allowing us to witness lives being changed...and thank You for allowing us the opportunity to plant seeds and water them....please don't tarry in bringing about the finished product....a life surrendered to You! Amen

Week 2, day 4

"I've heard the name Jesus, but I didn't know who He was....I've never heard of any of the people in the Bible....and I have never been a church or a chapel."
That was the testimony of one of the campers tonight at the campfire....an 11 year old girl, who before this week knew nothing about the Bible, about the love of Christ and about the mercy of a Heavenly Father. She had never heard of sin, as described through the Word, and of course, had never heard of forgivness and redemption.

When I hear a testimony like that, it makes me even more grateful and appreciative of the ministry here at BABR. It's almost hard to believe that anyone living in this country could actually make it this long without really hearing anything more than the name of Jesus. But it is a very common occurance out here....and thankfully Broken Arrow Bible Ranch is able to be light in a dark world, to be salt, to be a city on a hill.

There were many testimonies tonight....so many kids standing and saying that for the first time, they finally understood the Gospel and what Christ did on the cross for them....they finally saw the depths of their sin and their need for a Savior. God is so good....and He is so faithful to give us such a wonderful staff....a staff that desires to see these campers give their life to the Lord...staff that are careful to study the Word so that they can better pass on the knowledge to the kids that come across their path.
I spent time in prayer with one of the staff today, and to hear her desire to clearly and effectively present the Gospel was such a blessing to me.

Thank you Lord, for such a wonderful group of believers....thank you for opening the eyes and hearts of the campers....thank you for the power of the Word....and most of all, thank you for the sacrifice you made so we could be here today with Good News to tell these campers.

Week 2, Day 3

Another Wednesday has come and gone.

The highlight of the day (night) for the campers on this day is always Mission Impossible...they LOVE that game. And thankfully there were not many injuries (just one girl that fell into a cactus). The kids love the excitement of playing in the woods at night....they don't even mind being tied up....it's all about the staying up late and playing in the dark.

That's the campers highlight of the day....mine is what happened tonight after chapel, when about a dozen kids stayed behind after the message to talk with their counselors. I don't know what happened with each kid, if they accepted Christ or not, but I do know that no matter what, walls were broken down tonight and they stepped a little closer toward the open arms of a loving Savior. They had questions, concerns, hurts and needs.....and thankfully, our staff, through the Word of God, could help with those issues.

It has been a good week so far....not too many problems.....and there has been much "breaking through" with a lot of the campers. I sat in staff meeting and heard the counselors share the burdens of their cabins....and when I saw some of those campers stay behind tonight, it was such a moment of praise to my God.
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to use your Word and these counselors and wranglers to meet the many needs of the campers here.....we look forward to seeing what the rest of the week holds for us!

Week 2, day 2

Tuesdays are my busiest day....I won't go into the long list, but it's non-stop. My only 'sit' time is my drive to town to get the pictures developed. I have 25 minutes where I just drive....I go alone (on purpose) and I crank the music up.....just me and God, driving down the road. Although it's a quick, hectic trip, I do enjoy it. Just my few minutes to get away....no one calling my name, no one asking questions, no dancing and having to be silly....just the 'quiet' me. I don't see that 'me' very often in the summer.
Today's drive was exceptionally good....just what I needed. I put in my favorite cd and just sang (although I don't 'sing', it's more of a 'make a joyful NOISE to the Lord' kinda thing!). It was a good time with my Savior. Sometimes I feel like I spend so much time praying (praying for staff, praying for campers, praying WITH staff and campers) that I seldom get the time to just sing with my Savior....I almost feel like I am out of 'words' lately so it was nice to just not have to think of what to say next....just sing.
And tonight the music in chapel was good....although I wasn't alone in my van, it was still a sweet time of worship.....although I was surrounded by almost 200 other people, it still felt like just me and my Savior.
It was a good reminder to me that although I often feel like I NEED my alone time, that I NEED to get away...I really don't. God is faithful to give me exactly what I need.....if I need those sweet moments of fellowship with Him, I can have it anywhere....in my van, walking to the snack shop, stolen moments of prayer, and even in a crowded room of rowdy kids!
Thank you Lord for all that you give to me....for ALL my moments....and for reminding me of your promise to always draw me close.

Week 2, day 1

Well, another week of camp has begun.....it's off to a good start. Every week is different.....different workteam, different campers, some different staff, different dynamics....but thankfully we have the same God. We have access to the same strength, the same wisdom, the same peace....consistency is good in this ministry that is ever changing in all other aspects. There is comfort in serving a 'constant' God.

We have just a few more campers this week than we had last week.....we ended up with about 121. I'm looking forward to another fruitful week of camp. We have spent the day playing carnival games, singing songs, watching skits, eating spaghetti, playing red light/green light, chasing campers through the woods, listening to great teaching and enjoying some free time together....all in attempts to get to know the campers better. So far so good :)

Please continue to pray for us this week....we have many, many opportunities ahead of us...pray we do not miss a single one!

This is Afton (middle)....she has been coming here since she was 8 years old...she FINALLY was voted camper of the week. I will never forget her face when we announced her name....this very smile stayed plastered across her face the rest of the night.....she was beautiful!!!! :)

Uncondiitional love

NOW, camp is officially over.....breakfast has been served, the campers are gone, the workteam just pulled away headed for home, and the camp is clean. There is a good feeling knowing that a particular task is completed. Although we have an 8 week "task" before us, week one is done and with great success....no real complaints, only words of thanksgiving to a faithful and loving God.
I witnessed something today that reminded me of that faithfulness and love. I was standing in the lodge looking out the window....watching all the parents reunite with their kids. I saw one camper in particular, one that had been very "energetic" (to put it nicely) all week, walking out of the lodge. He made his way through a group of workteam people and finally found his parents. The reunion was sweet.....I stood there watching as they sandwiched him in a big hug...then the Dad picked him up in a big embrace....the Mom took her turn wrapping her arms around him, running her fingers through his messy hair, holding his face to get a good look at him. I watched as he showed them the rocket he had made and what looked like him describing how it had launched and fell back to earth. They hugged more, never stopped smiling, then the Dad picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him off, laughing to the car. It really was a sweet moment to watch. And in that moment I was reminded of a greater love....the love of our heavenly Father.....a love that is unconditional and lasting. Although I was slightly glad to see this camper leave, these parents were even more excited to see him come home. They don't really care that he had been non-stop activity, worn his counselor out, talked constantly and had and endless supply of energy...all they cared about is that he was home, that they could wrap their arms around him, that they could shower him with love and attention. Their love is unconditional....they see their son as their most precious gift, their sweetest blessing. No matter how others saw him, they saw him through the eyes of faithful love.
I am SO glad my heavenly Father sees me through those eyes.....He doesn't see me as others often see me...flawed, cranky, selfish, etc. He sees me as His prized possession, His redeemed creation, His precious child.
Thank you Lord, for continually giving me glimpses of You through this ministry....thank you for your faithful and unconditional love.