Wrap Up

All in all, the trip was phenomenal. Our team can only hope that we impacted the "Mainers" as much as our own lives were impacted. The week was nearly flawless and all of our prayers were answered. Looking back, that was one of the most apparent things to me was the way that God answers prayers. I knew this before, but it became much more real; from the way in which the rain was held off until the minute all the kids left camp to the ways in which it was apparent that the kids saw Jesus in us, it was apparent that God answers prayers. Another answer to prayer was our relationship with the church in Maine. "Christ the Redeemer" was full of praises about the way that our team conducted ourselves and never grew weary. Of course, they did not see the way that we crashed once back at the hotel, but it was a blessing that God was able to use us to impact the church as well as the families we met through the camp. Hopefully, this trip built a bridge that will lead to many more visits to Maine in the future. Please pray for these future relationships and possible trips. Let me leave you with this story, which pretty much sums up the entire trip. As we finished camp, said our goodbyes, and started packing up, one of the little campers ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. As she said goodbye, and ran away, she left me with this, "I'll see you in heaven Katy!". With tears in my eyes, I responded, "Yes, you will". That's what this trip was all about.

Orienteering

We made it through hump day! Today actually may have been my favorite day of camp; it was a lot of fun. Our major activities today were orienteering and archery. The kids are definitely starting to warm up to us. They are comfortable playing with us, climbing on us, and are even beginning to share their hearts and thoughts with us. In one of the small groups today a camper asked "Why did the Romans put Jesus to death?". This led to similar questions such as, "Why did Jesus have to die?". The kids are curious and quickly soaking up the message that Mr. Dan has for them hidden beneath his "Juli-with-an-i" stories. Through these stories we talked about God's Sovereignty and how God has a plan even when bad things happen. After this story, one little girl explained, between tears, to Mrs. Phyllis that her dog had died, which made her sad, but she knew that God had a plan. Pray that we will continue to have conversations like this the next two days. The rest of our day was spent preparing for tomorrow's family dinner. We have invited the families of the campers to join us for dinner so that they can learn about what their kids have done this week and we can connect them with Christ the Redeemer church. There is a lot that needs to be done in the time between camp and the dinner tomorrow. Please pray for that transition time, that it will be smooth and there will be a place to put everything. Everyone is nervous about exactly how that will work out. Also, pray that schedules are freed so that the families will be able to make it. Thanks again for all of your prayers!

I Adore You

Christ the Redeemer

Last night, a family from the the church we are here with, Christ the Redeemer, invited us into their home from dinner. This church is full of the most hospitable people. Not only did they have 18 of us, they also invited some of the other members from the church. They treated us to a real Maine dinner complete with bright pink hot dogs, bbq, corn on the cob, cole slaw, whole lobsters and whoopie pies. We enjoyed our fellowship with these families, and it became apparent to us how much of an impact this church has on their community. After dinner the family took us to the beach, where some of our braver team members swam in the Atlantic. All in all, it was an excellent, relaxing night that we definitely needed.

Salamanders.

Water exploration day was definitely a hit! The kids really enjoyed the hike and playing in the water. The pictures above are mostly from today's main activities: hiking, creature finding, and an excellent craft led by Sissy Flynn. However, all of the team members are worn out. I think that our biggest prayer request right now is that we will have stamina and energy for tomorrow. Also, pray that the seeds that we have been planting will start to stick and that the kids will become more open to spiritual conversations. The kids know that we are a "church camp" and some are much more receptive to that than others. Pray that tomorrow will be a great day of orienteering and spiritual lessons.

Quick look at the kids!

Explorer Camp

It was a great day of Explorer Camp. Everyone had a lot of fun and the camp ran very smoothly, especially for the first day. God answered our prayers in many ways. There was no rain, despite the 60% chance, we had 53 kids, and all of the kids, even those as old as 15 were very enthusiastic. Catherine shared with me today that after morning worship, as we began to pray, the sky was very dark and cloudy. As we finished praying she looked up and the sun began to burst through the clouds. The little girl sitting next to Catherine stated, very simply, "He hears us". What a simple and direct way of proclaiming God's presence. About halfway through the day, another girl began to miss her mom. In order to comfort her, Lynn explained that even though her mom was in a different state, God was always with her wherever she went. Later that day, the girl told Lynn she now realized that God was with her. These are just two of the many ways that God revealed Himself to us today. We are all looking forward to seeing what He will do next. As we prepared for tomorrow, we realized that there is about a 3 hour time span where we will not have access to restrooms, because we will be hiking and creek walking. Please pray that during this time span, restrooms will not be a necessary commodity. We are all pretty exhausted but looking forward to another day of Explorer Camp!

43.

Everyone on our team has now successfully arrived in Portland. This morning we worshiped with Christ the Redeemer. Though their church might be small, the Spirit is quite obviously at work, and we were made to feel right at home. After lunch, we were able to visit the school where nature camp will be held. It turns out that we will be charged hourly for using the gym, so our new goal is to have the whole 9-4 day outside. There is also a 60% chance of rain tomorrow. Pray that it will not rain over Lyseth Elementary School. At this point, we have 43 kids signed up for camp and their ages range from 4-15. Our lunches are packed, and the cars loaded, but who knows exactly what God has in store for us tomorrow. We are all very excited and ready to face our first day of nature camp! We would love to be remembered in you prayers. Thank you!

Portland

The majority of the team has arrived in Portland, and God is already working. Once we arrived and settled into the hotel, we went into the town to try out the lobster. The restaurant was crowded allowing a couple of our team members to share a table with a local couple. During dinner, it became apparent that the lady was very interested in Christianity and described herself as a seeker. Through this conversation, we were able to share some of the fundamentals of Christianity and will be able to connect her with Christ the Redeemer. It is amazing how God can work through strangers during a simple dinner conversation. We are looking forward to worshiping with Christ the Redeemer tomorrow morning as well as preparing for the upcoming week. I would ask that you would pray for safety in travel for Emily and Brian Beckett as they fly up tomorrow and stamina for the members of our team. Thank you for your prayers!

One Week Away

We have just over a week before the team departs for Maine, and everyone is getting excited. Today, we began packing all the boxes that will be shipped to Portland so that Dan can have the supplies needed to conduct the nature camp (picture to the right). Although the packing is underway, we still need much support for this trip. There are still campers who need sponsorship and we are always in need of prayer. As of today, our most pressing prayer requests are for safety in travel and that we will have 60 campers present at nature camp. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and support as we prepare for this trip.

Katy

First Gathering of the Curious and Interested! TODAY

Lobsters, Lighthouses and LIFE!

Cov Pres is heading out to Maine. Nature camp, mercy ministry, helping the local church...and a few lobster rolls! Here we go.

Sean