Taste the Sweetness - Session #6, Feb 20-22

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #6, February 20-22, 10th-12th Grade

Dear Prayer Family,

There is a certain sweetness you can taste at the 10^th-12^th grade camps. Many of the kids have been coming to camp for years and know more about the program than the counselors do. They love and cherish being at camp and even call camp their home. One of the girls this past weekend, over February 20-22, told a counselor after the first night of camp that she always sleeps better at camp, which she referred to as her home. For Virginia, though, it was only her second time at camp. She could tell that camp was her home after only coming once. Wow! Anyways, this weekend proved to be a great weekend filled with the sweetness and joy that only comes from God.

Richard wasn’t super keen on me asking him questions when I picked him up at the first bus stop. He answered my questions, but wasn’t going to engage in a conversation with me. He had attended camp only once before when he was in the sixth or seventh grade. From the get-go, I could tell that despite his hard outer shell, he was a young man hurting from feelings of loneliness and abandonment that he had to constantly face throughout his childhood. His father died when he was four and his mother was in prison. His first set of foster parents kicked him out and he moved around in the system until moving to Oregon with a relative.

Upon arriving at camp Richard shared with his counselor, Todd that he knew no one cared for him and that no one has ever been there for him. His only friend was his “drug friend” that did drugs with him on a daily basis. His heart was certainly guarded against anything of God and at first his approach to camp was that of being untouchable. Todd, however, a very wise and seasoned counselor, began to share with Richard that he was not alone and that he was there for Richard and that his Camp Alandale family was there for him. Even more, he shared that God was there for Richard and that Jesus loved and cared for him. God used many of the teaching points at camp through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 to open up Richard's heart. He began to see that he had a friend in Jesus and that Todd’s care for him wasn’t fake or forced. This all came to a climax during the one-on-one time Saturday evening where tears began to flow down Richard's face and his heart began to soften.

On Sunday at the end of Victory Circle, Richard stood up and shared with the whole group his thankfulness for Todd. He said that Todd taught him about companionship and that he knew that Todd was there for him, Camp Alandale was there for him, and that God was there for him. What a change from the beginning of the weekend. Please continue to pray for Richard as the Holy Spirit continues to work on his heart and that Richard would surrender to Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers for Richard and all the others at Camp Alandale!

In the name of Jesus,

Jeremy & Amy Allen

Pine Cone War - Session #5, February 13-15

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #5, February 13-15, 7th-9th Grade

Dearest Prayer Coordinators,

Wow another winter camp flew by. We get such a short time with the campers, and it goes so quick. This winter camp was filled with lots of activity from some very active boys.

Jesus and Roberto both came from the same group home. They had lived together for the last 3 years, until suddenly last week their group home was closed. All the children went to different placements in different group homes and had to start to make family connections again with a whole new group of foster brothers and sisters. Though they changed homes just a couple days before camp Jesus and Roberto made sure they would both get to camp, their home away from home. Both campers have been coming to camp for a couple years now and love being here.

As camp began and we began to learn about the Beatitudes these boys got a chance to put into practice what they were learning. Both boys are medicated because of behavior issues. Both are very short tempered and rambunctious, they call it hyperactivity. I think if they were growing up on a farm 100 years ago they would be called a blessing but they are not on a farm. Well all this energy came out quite often for these boys. Early on in the weekend we all had to decide as a group to respect one another and not to talk over each other; or to sing not talk during song time, you get the idea. The boys were doing a good job at giving respect.

Well during hiking/snow play time which turned into hiking/climbing trees and playing basketball time due to the absence of snow a pine cone war erupted. Actually more of a light battle than a war. The boys 45 feet up the Giant Sequoia were throwing little pine cones at the basketball players below. We stopped the bombardment promptly however Roberto had been hit in the head. He was angry at Jesus who he know had thrown the mini pinecone. Roberto sulked behind the sugar shack and waited for an apology that was not likely coming. We remembered the Beatitudes in that moment, God blesses those who are merciful, and the peace makers. Though Roberto never received his apology he chose to forgive the kid who hurt him. He chose to show mercy and be a peace maker. He stopped and prayed for Jesus and his hard heart. God shows up in these small ways and blesses my heart at camp. I hope your heart is blessed as well.

Thank you for your prayers that move God's heart to move our campers' hearts. You are truly doing battle for the souls of these young ones. The enemy does not want to give them up, he wants to keep them and their families in bondage. Thank you again for your prayers!

                       

In His service,

Matt, Tarrah, Aiden, and Piper Pritchett

Weekend of Siblings - Session #4, February 6-8

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #4, February 6-8, 7th-9th Grade

Can you find the camper?

Dear Prayer Family,

Your prayers matter! They really do. Not a week or a weekend passes by when I do not think about how thankful that you are praying for the campers, junior counselors, and counselors. This past weekend was no exception. Thank you for being faithful to pray for us!

Sometimes there are sessions of camp that are more difficult than the others. Session #4 from February 6-8 was one of those sessions. There were a few difficult campers that added stress to whole the weekend and even caused a distraction from the whole of the program. Your prayers sustained us with patience, discernment, and wisdom in dealing with some difficult moments throughout the weekend. Despite the difficulties, God moved throughout the weekend!

Sasha and Thomas are sister and brother. They have been coming to camp since 2012 and over the course of the three years have grown up quite a bit. Not only have they grown physically, but their love for God has certainly matured. They both looked up to their counselors, Jacob and Anastasia, so much and seemed to enjoy every single minute of their time at camp. From the Bible studies to the games to cleaning up after meals, Thomas and Sasha were a delight to have at camp. During the different teaching sessions they were always willing to share an answer and be an example to the other campers. Even more so, their love for each as brother and sister was very evident. Many times siblings at camp pick on each other and put each other down, but not Thomas and Sasha. Thomas treated his sister so well all weekend and Sasha always spoke so highly of her brother.

Come to think of, it was quite the weekend of siblings with Jessie and Samantha, Jesus and Oscar, Peter and Austen, and Serena and Kelly. My sister, Emily, was even up here counseling. What made the weekend even more joyful was the love that the campers have for the Camp Alandale family and the thankfulness that many of them have to be at camp. I was reminded often and shared with the campers that God’s family is larger than our earthly brothers and sisters. Pray that all of the campers would be connected to their brothers and sisters in Christ while they’re away from camp. This is one of their biggest needs, to find spiritually support and encouragement while they are at home.

Your prayers make a difference! May God richly bless you for your faithful service.

In the name of Jesus,

Jeremy & Amy Allen

Former Campers Become JCs - JC Training, January 16-19

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for JC Training, January 16-19

Dear Prayer Family,

What a splendid and holy weekend we have had! Thanks in no small part to your prayers, God never fails to show up this past weekend at our Junior Counselor (JC) Training Camp.  Each JC Training Camp we are broken down into small groups and spend time sharing with our group those things we are struggling with so that we can pray for each other. What a joy to dispense with the atmosphere of superficiality that too often plagues fellowship, and do as James 5:16 says, “Confessing your trespasses to one another, and praying for one another, that you may be healed.” Fears, sins, and struggles, are all given up to God, and in return He pours out His healing and strength.

It is always a blessing to have former campers become JCs. To see seeds we have sown, growing with each passing year! To see fruits of the spirit, growing in abundance where previously there was hard ground. I give thanks to see Victor quoting 1 John as he prayed for a member of our group; for Daniel’s heart of service, considering the needs of others before his own; for Timothy’s decision to become leader of his school’s Bible Club this past year, and be faithful in it; for Jennifer’s quiet smile and compassion. What a joy to see their lives being transformed by Christ!

Although, we have a lot of fun at each JC Training, much of the time is occupied by Bible studies and training sessions. This weekend’s purpose is to prepare this group of young men and women for serving the Lord at Camp Alandale. As I see each year pass, and each new group of JC’s come I sometimes fear that they are only here for fun or selfish reasons. In fact, as one of the Camp Directors was sharing a story of some very difficult campers and problems we have had in the past I remember thinking, “I hope he doesn’t scare them back to their youth groups and their once a week service of God.” Yet time and time again my expectations are far surpassed and I find in these young men and women a tremendous depth of love and devotion to the Lord! I can truthfully say that I saw Christ in every single life this weekend! Thank you so much for your prayers, and please continue to pray, remembering these precious lives to the Most High God! Many of them will be serving this winter, but all of the new JCs will wait to serve until the summer. Pray for them, that their lives would be strengthened according to God’s ways!

Blessings in the name of Jesus,

Brian & the Staff at Camp Alandale

Soaking It Up - Session #3, Jan 30-Feb 1

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #3, Jan 30-Feb 1, 7th-9th Grade

Dear Prayer Coordinators,

Winter camp was again such a sweet time of refreshment and fellowship. As I picked up the campers on Friday night I knew it was going to be a special camp. We arrived to camp at about 9:00 pm and were greeted with cookies and hot chocolate.

As the weekend began one of our special campers named Jon began to feel ill. Jon had motion sickness that lasted throughout the night. The next morning Jon felt a little better and was able to have a special time of one-on-one with his counselor, Britt. Britt shared later that day that it was probably the best one-on-one that he had ever had. Jon and his older brother Sam are always a pleasure to have at camp. Sam has even applied to become a JC this year. Well Jon went downhill pretty quickly after the one-on-one. He came down with a fever and a temperature of 102 degrees and had to head home. I am thankful though that he got to have a special one-on-one.

Mark is a very tall boy. He is a head taller than all the other boys at camp. He is very strong and likes to play rough, sometimes a little too rough. This camp I got to know Mark pretty well. He is very insecure and worries a lot about being left out. He seems to try to cover his fear with his rough playfulness. I had to tell him quite a few times that I did not like my hat ripped off my head and my hair swirled around, it was one of those times to teach boundaries. Mark was all ears though. He was eager to listen and to try to change. As we spoke about the Beatitudes Mark soaked it up. The first Beatitude, God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, really impacted his heart. As with many young Christians, they receive Jesus, but it takes a while for their relationship to mature. I think Mark is really beginning to see his need for God, and is realizing his poverty of soul. God is so faithful to complete the work in the hearts of these children, as He is with all of us.

Thanks for joining with us in prayer for the maturing of these young believers, and for the salvation of the lost.

Thank you for your prayers,

Matt, Tarrah, Aiden, and Piper Pritchett

Victory Circle Twist - Session #2, January 23-25

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #2, January 23-25, 7th-9th Grade

Dear Prayer Coordinators,

Thank you for your continued support for all the sweet campers through prayer. We have been enjoying such sweet winter camp moments and all of that is because of your faithfulness to pray for us, the counselors, the junior counselors, and the campers. We really appreciate it!

Jeremy and I just finished our first weekend over January 23-25. We had such a fun group of returning kids. Our group was mostly boys, as I’m sure you noticed, and they were full of laughs. They each seemed to be matched so well to their individual counselors and we could tell that they were getting a full dose of love from them. It always amazes us, although it probably shouldn’t surprise us that even though the campers pick their counselor’s name out of a basket when they get to camp God always pairs up the right camper with the right counselor.

Most of these campers were already believers, so it was a sweet time of encouragement for them as they learned about the beatitudes. It was really special to see some of the kids like, Jose, Richard, and Josh, begin to mature in their faith and as young men. They all have been coming to camp for many years now and the maturity they showed was quite impressive for middle school boys.

One special moment this weekend that stands out above the rest was hearing the campers talk about their counselors at the end of the weekend. Usually we do what is called Victory Circle, where the counselors stand up and talk about the unique and wonderful qualities they see in their camper over the weekend. Since we had such a small group we were able to give the campers a chance to share about their counselors. Most of the boys shared how fun and caring their counselors were and even talked about the special qualities their counselor had. It was such an encouragement to see first-hand that these kids were absorbing such much needed love. So often these young men won’t have many male influences that are positive and Christ-centered in their lives. So the opportunity to come up for a whole weekend or week and be poured into by godly men is life changing for them. It teaches them what it means to be a man of God, not just by telling them about it, but as they witness it as the weekend progresses and they get to know their individual counselor.

We are continually blessed to be a part of God’s work here at Camp Alandale to the abused children, and we hope you are too!

God Bless,

Jeremy and Amy Allen

Sunset @ Camp Alandale

Crisp Mornings & Brisk Afternoons - Session #1, January 9-11

Letter to Prayer Coordinators for Session #1, January 9-11, 4th-6th Grade

Dear Prayer Team,    

Winter Camp at Camp Alandale is a special time of year. Campers awake to cool crisp mornings and play in the brisk afternoon sun. Winter camp is very different from summer camp. The time goes so fast, but is so fun. I wish you could feel winter camp with me. We only take returning campers for winter camp because space is limited, and the campers that come are extremely excited to be here. The peaceful relaxing mornings and the fun filled afternoons make it a special camp.

Camp was definitely special for David. David came to camp for the first time last summer with his older sister Sarah. These two kids are some of the sweetest kids I have ever met. They are both soft spoken, intelligent, and serious. Sarah met Jesus last summer at camp but her brother David had not. That was about to change.

At camp we have special times each day called one-on-ones (pray for these times) when the campers and their counselors get to go and have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time together. These are some of the most special times for many campers and counselors. The campers get to ask their counselor the hard questions about life. Questions like, “Why did God let this happen to me?” or “Why would God take me away from my family?”

On Saturday David and his counselor, Pascual, went off for one-on-one. When they returned David had a huge smile on his face. The conversation went beautifully. David had his questions answered and Pascual was able to share the gospel with David. He decided to follow Jesus. Praise the Lord!

It is this way with so many of our campers. They come to summer camp and learn about Jesus, maybe for the first time. They head home for a few months, but then they get to come back for winter camp. All those things that they learned during the summer began to make sense when they got back home, and the Holy Spirit continues to draw them near to the Father’s heart. Then they come back to camp in the winter and God does the rest. Souls are saved and lives are changed! Thank you for your continued prayer for the campers, counselors and staff here at camp. We count on your prayers as we wage this spiritual battle for the souls of the campers and their families and this for His glory!

Thank you for your prayers,

Matt, Tarrah, Aiden, and Piper Pritchett