Dear Prayer Coordinators,
Thank you for praying for us. My
name is Irene Hackett and I am part of Summer Staff 2014. Each and every year
is so unique and extraordinary all at the same time. When going into
counseling, I’ve learned that you can’t have any expectations. You can either
get campers who really love you, or some who completely dislike
you and won’t listen to you at all. Either way, you know it’s not you, and you
just have to continue to show God’s love with every action you make. I had the
privilege of having two sweet young 10 year old girls, Regina and Jessica.
They were always so helpful, kind and just absolutely curious about Jesus.
When I met Regina, I knew there was underlying pain and depth to her story when looking into
her big coffee colored eyes. The first day I found out she was Cambodian, and I
just happened to have gotten back from living over in Cambodia this last year.
She really wanted to learn the language, Khmer. So, I was able to teach her
some throughout the week, which was so ironic, yet so perfect! Throughout our
one-on-ones I realized more and more that she reminded me of a younger version
of myself. She was so curious about my mother who was addicted to drugs and
alcohol, and how I got through living in those situations. Finally Wednesday
night, she broke down and told me all about her difficult past. She also had
parents who were addicted to drugs, and who didn’t love her. She had to grow up
fast and take care of her siblings. You could just see in her every action she
made how much she was desperate for that lack of love in her life. However, as
the week went on, you could see her heart being filled by the Lord. During
worship, she worshipped so beautifully. She wanted to know more about God, and
you can tell she just really understood that God is the way, the truth, and the
life. And nothing was more beautiful, than holding that precious girl in my
arms, crying, telling her she is a daughter of the King and He loves her so
much, and her knowing it and believing it too. A little girl’s life was
transformed that week. It was difficult to say goodbye, but I know and have full
assurance that the Holy Spirit is living inside of her and God is going to take
care of her. He loves her, and she knows it.
My name is Janine
Diaz, and I am also on Summer Staff for 2014. This past week our Lord perfectly
placed me with two amazing girl campers named Taylor and Jordan. Taylor has
been to camp before and hopped off the bus with an excitement and confidence
that had definitely grown since the last time we had seen her at camp. She came
to camp with many questions in mind. The moment she found out I was her
counselor, she asked me, “Is it a sin to be a lesbian?” Caught a little
off-guard, I responded, “That would be a great thing to talk about on our
one-on-ones!” And it was! Over the course of the week, we read through the
Scriptures, prayed, and learned more about God’s love and perfect plan for His
children’s romantic relationships.
My second camper,
Jordan, had never been to camp before. She was timid at first but soon
blossomed upon our first Bible study. I have never seen a camper fall in love
with God’s Word as quickly as Jordan. Our one-on-ones were filled with lively
discussion about Bible characters and stories. At our Thursday carnival, she
picked out two booklets of Bible verses and read them to me any chance she
could. I asked her if she had accepted Jesus into her heart. She told me all
about how she asked Jesus into her heart while hearing songs about God’s love
during one of our amphitheater times. I was so excited I did a little happy
dance for her. God certainly showed Himself to Jordan, and her initial
timidity was transformed into a loving and gentle spirit. How thankful we are
for your prayers! Our great God has done it again—He has shined brightly at
camp and in the lives of these children.
Blessings,
Irene Hackett & Janine Diaz
Summer Staff 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment