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Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Summer Camp #1
Ernesto had
never been to Camp Alandale before but from the moment he stepped off the bus
into a cheering crowd of counselors and staff members holding cookies, Ernesto
had a shining smile that was on his face for almost the entire week. As his
counselor, I was lucky enough to hang out with Ernesto all week. Whether it was
playing soccer, learning memory verses, or catching lizards, Ernesto was
naturally gifted at whatever he put his mind to! As the week progressed, Ernesto
wanted to spend every spare moment searching through the bushes and the logs
for any sign of lizards; and every time he caught one, which was pretty
regularly, his face would light up with his one-of-a-kind smile!
Since the lizards weren’t out during
our one-on-one times in the evenings, Ernesto loved to look up at the light of
the stars while we walked and talked. One night, Ernesto telling me about how
he hated being alone at night. So I mentioned how God promises to never leave
us. Ernesto looked at me with a skeptical look and said, “How do I know that
God is with me if I can’t see him?” Then I got to tell Ernesto about how Jesus
promised to send the Holy Spirit to live inside of us if we accept Jesus as our
savior and make Him Lord of our lives. I asked him if he had ever asked Jesus to
do that. Ernesto responded by telling me that he thought he was “Cathletic”
(his way of saying “Catholic”) but that he wasn’t sure if that meant God was
with him. I told Ernesto that he didn’t have to worry about whether or not he
was saved because we could pray right where we were and that he could ask Jesus
to do that right then and there. Ernesto stopped walking, looked at me with
that shining smile, and said “I want to ask him right now!” So right there in
the middle of a dirt path, under the light of the stars that Ernesto loved so
much, he prayed like he was talking to a friend and then he knew, without a
doubt, that God would never leave his side.
Summer Camp #4
This week at camp, I had the joy and privilege of being Nancy’s counselor. Nancy was a spirited and creative camper who had a knack for exploring any chance she got. It was her first time attending Camp Alandale, but rather than being shy and reserved, she was outspoken and came up with nicknames for every single camper (and even a few counselors). While she was more interested in fishing than she was talking, she said that she used to be a Christian, but over the years she hasn’t been that close with God. I asked her if she wanted to rededicate her life back to Christ, and she said yes. Praise God!
On getting to
know her more, she had a very dark past that she didn’t like talking about
except when she shared it publicly during campfire testimonies. Even then, she
still didn’t give many details and was quick to share more about her friends’
lives than her own. During the pine-cone ceremony, she broke down and she cried
for the rest of the night. The next morning, she was giving everyone hugs. When
I asked her about it, she said that she gave God all her problems and was
changed. She went back to her group home that day, but she expressed much
interest in coming back to camp for the rest of her life and eventually
becoming a junior counselor. Please keep Nancy in your prayers that she will
continue to grow in Christ and will continue to come back to camp to learn more
about the God who took away her burdens.
Thank you,
Elizabeth
Blackman
Summer Staff
Summer Camp #3
Dear Prayer Warriors and Friends of Camp,
Thank you so much for praying for our last camp session. It was an
exciting week to minister to 26 junior high campers—they had so much energy! I
was blessed to counsel two young ladies named Rachel and Amy. Rachel spent much
of the week giving me attitude, but enjoyed socializing with other campers and
making friends. Amy on the other hand, bonded easily with me which was nice
because she had a tough week. She had suffered serious physical and sexual
abuse as a young child and was taking several medications as a result. I
watched as Amy found things she enjoyed about camp. I learned she has a
relationship with Jesus, enjoys snuggling and loves dogs. During the week Amy
and I spent a lot of time petting the camp dog Diego together or walking arm in
arm.
I’m neither a very touchy person nor a dog lover, so I found myself
praying throughout the day asking God to love through me in these things. He
answered my prayers. Every time I’d put my arm around Amy or even pet the dog
with her, I could sense a love that wasn’t my own well up in my heart. I got a
glimpse of the love our Father has for precious Amy. This spurred me to
intercede for her continued healing all week…what a privilege! I’m not entirely
certain what changes did or didn’t take place in my campers’ lives that week.
However, I absolutely am certain the Holy Spirit ministered comfort and
lavished unconditional love on them. What peace Romans 8:38 brings, “And I am
convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love…” He continues to
pursue all the campers with His love even after they leave camp. We know He is
working in their lives, breaking the cycle of abuse their families have
suffered from for generations. Your
prayers are powerful! Thank you again and be blessed for your faithfulness for
continuing to lift up this ministry.
In Christ’s Love,
Jamie Zimpelman
Summer Staff
Summer Cap #2 2017
Dear Prayer Coordinators,
Camp started off this week as usual-kids in junior high
stepping off the bus, some with boundless energy while others were more tentative,
followed bags ranging from thick cotton to plastic trash bags filled with
clothes. The campers’ expressions went all over the board as they waited, some
more patiently than others, for our camp directors to introduce themselves and
talk about what this week would hold for them. As a counselor this week, I was
assigned two campers. One camper, Jan, has been coming to Camp Alandale since
fourth grade (she is going into 7th grade at the start of the new school year).
Throughout the week, she exhibited such enthusiasm and interest in all that was
going on at camp down to the last memory verse and pool time. Even when she was
tired from the long fun-filled days, she still continued to answer and ask
questions in every topic from Bible knowledge to Disney. She brought me so much
joy and was such an awesome camper to have.
My other camper Latonya, came from an incredibly abusive
background. During her testimony, which she shared at camp mid-week during
testimony time, she told us that her mother and grandmother believed she was
the devil incarnate, and her younger brother was one of her demons. She went
through an unbelievable amount of verbal, physical and psychological abuse at
the hands of her family before she was put into foster care. She carries a lot
of guilt and shame; she told me she blames herself for what has happened to her
family and wants her family back, despite past abuse. This week, however, I got
to see her shine through her creativity and desire to instill justice where she
could. She stood up for another camper when another camper attempted to bully
him, and took initiative in getting another camper on our team to participate
in memory verse time. She has a gift for hairstyling; she dutch-braided and
French-braided everyone’s hair who asked, mine included. I got a chance to see
her be a kid, to laugh and have fun and make friends and talk about the many
dreams she has in the future, including being an actress and a Youtube
celebrity. On our last one-on-one, she told me she wanted to make friends who
were good friends and who cared about her. Please be in prayer that she will
meet these friends. Before boarding the bus, I noticed she was crying. She
didn’t want to leave this camp that she said was “like a family”. I pray she
comes back next year, and continues to learn more about the God Who created her
so perfectly.
Thank you for keeping this camp, staff and campers in your
prayers.
In His Service,
Elizabeth Blackman – Summer Staff
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Prayer Update: Summer Staff Training 2017
Dear Prayer Warriors & Friends of Camp,
We wrapped up a very successful week of Summer
Staff Training here at Camp Alandale! My name is Jamie and I’m so blessed to be
on Summer Staff for the first time at Camp Alandale. Every day last week was
chocked full of training, cleaning, cooking and fellowshipping to prepare for
Summer Camp 2017.
One day we packed a picnic lunch and all headed
over to a beautiful shaded spot on the Santa Ana River about half a mile from
camp. We ate sandwiches and built a dam on the river for the campers to cool
off and swim on our Thursday hike. The water was freezing cold! I imagined the kids there as I threw logs and rocks
atop the dam—some shrieking at the temperature after dipping one toe in, and
others boldly submerging themselves—I can’t wait to take them there.
During the week we read a devotional as a team
about abiding in Christ and I was reminded of the importance of resting in His
presence. It is essential summer staff and counselors understand this to be
effective ministers, so please pray for us to continue growing in this! Please
also pray for the hearts of each and every camper to receive the healing love
of our Redeemer. Once again, thank you so much for your commitment to pray. Be
blessed!
Love in Christ,
Jamie Zimpelman
Camp Alandale Summer Staff
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