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

Dear Prayer Warriors,

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

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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Prayer Update: JC Training Weekend, Summer 2017

Dear Prayer Warriors and Friends of Camp,

Summer is fast-approaching and our Junior Counselor training is upon us! JC Training runs May 26-29^th, and we need your prayers. JC training is the first event on our summer calendar, and we are getting excited. We have had many groups come up for work days doing lots of raking, cleaning, de-winterizing, and of course praying. We have been working hard to raise camper sponsorships to bring kids to camp.

At JC training, our JC’s will learn how to serve at camp. They will study the Bible, pray for each other in prayer groups, build friendships, mop floors, do laundry, wash dishes, paint cabins, weed eat and rake, and serve their hearts out. Many of our JC’s go to schools where they find few committed Christian friends. We hear year after year that the friendships built here at JC training make a huge difference in their lives. Many times we hear that our JC’s felt all alone, like they were in a wilderness with no other Christian kids their age. At camp, they find they are not alone and now have brother and sisters in the Lord to come alongside them.

The most exciting thing about JC training is that our new camper JC’s (kids from our camp program) get their first taste of what it is like to serve at Camp Alandale. Our camper JC’s meet with a mentor once a month and are doing monthly Bible studies as part of their training. It is a blessing to see the growth that happens in the hearts of the camper JC’s as they mature and serve.  

Stay tuned for more exciting updates on all the amazing things God is doing at camp this summer!

In Christ,

Matt & Tarrah Pritchett

Executive Camp Directors

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Prayer Update, Winter Camp '17 Wrap-Up: Session #4

Dear Prayer Coordinators and Friends of Camp,

Eddie pulled me aside at the end of camp and said, “You guys have no idea how much of an impact you have made on my life.” He doesn’t realize how many people he has praying for him and how much of an impact that makes on his life! Eddie came to Camp Alandale last summer shortly after getting out of Juvenile Hall. He called it prison. We wrote a story about him in our newsletter last fall. He ran away from a group home last year before summer to follow a girl who betrayed him and prostituted herself to other young men they were staying with, eventually killing herself. Eddie was so confused last summer when he came to camp for the first time.

Eddie was one of the kids who received the Word of God implanted in his heart, and the Word has taken root. Eddie is a Christian. He has a new life. He is a senior in High school and will be graduating in June 2017. We are so proud of him. His plan is to go into the Army after graduation, and then he said he wants to buy his mom a house. Eddie loves his mother tremendously even though she has made horrible decisions in her choices in men. Men who abused both her and Eddie. That abuse is what landed him in jail for assaulting the abusive men when he got strong enough to fight back. You would never know that Eddie was once an angry, violent young man. Eddie is marked by Christ and becoming an honorable young man who loves his God, his family, and his country. Thank you for your prayers for Eddie. Thank you for battling behind the scenes, in private prayer closets for the hearts and minds of our precious campers.

Thank your for prayers and support!

Love in Christ,

Matt and Tarrah Pritchett

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Prayer Team Update, Winter Camp '17: Session #3

Dear Prayer Coordinators & Friends of Camp,

Well, it was a wet Winter Camp! So wet, in fact, from all the snow melt and rain over the last few weeks that Dan Hitchcock, our Maintenance Director, spent the week making creeks all over the camp to drain the three to six inches of standing water the camp was covered in for the entire week before camp. Praise the Lord, the water drained and the mud was fun and manageable.

Camp was fantastic! One of my favorite campers, "Katie Sunblast," as she calls herself, came to camp her usual chipper self. She has had a hard life. She masks insecurities behind a smile and a loud voice. She loves volleyball and is very outspoken about her opinions. At the end of camp at Victory Circle, she shared with us how much the time with her counselor Susan meant to her. She shared that the advice and encouragement she received at Camp, and always receives at camp, helps her so much all year.

We are blessed to hear these stories so many times each year and are so thankful for your prayers! As the years go by, we learn more and more that the real work is done before Camp as we pray against the strongholds that hold the campers and their families in bondage from generation to generation. Please keep praying for the work God is doing here at Camp Alandale, for our campers, and for our staff families.

If you would like to serve camp as a prayer coordinator, please email us at info@campalandale.org.

Love in Christ,

Matt & Tarrah Pritchett

Executive Directors

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Prayer Team Update: Winter Camp '17, Session #2

Dear Prayer Coordinators & Friends of Camp,

Our second winter camp was a wonderful time for all as we enjoyed the several feet of snow that had accumulated at camp during the storm the previous weekend. It was some of the best sledding we’ve ever had at camp, and the campers were thrilled as they took turns carving out sled runs down the mountainside. Bible studies and worship time moved into a dedicated space at Cedar Hall, leaving the main lodge for meals and game time by the fire. What a blessing it is to have more space at the new camp property to make the most of all the study, worship and fellowship time!

Praise God! Two more campers, Raymond and Jason, gave their hearts to Jesus. Many other campers who have previously committed to following Christ grew in their understanding of what it really means to KNOW GOD and how to truly walk with Jesus as we studied 1 John. Thank you for your prayers for our campers!

A young camper named Amber shared with her Bible study group how heavy it is weighing on her heart to not know what has become of her five brothers and sisters. She was separated from them and is deeply troubled not knowing where they are. Please pray for Amber that she will understand God’s love and trust His plan for her and her siblings. Pray she will find comfort in Jeremiah 29:11, for though she fears disaster, she can know that God is for her and has good plans for her.

Next week, we welcome our second group of 7-9^th graders. Please pray that all the campers and counselors who have registered will be able to attend as planned, and that as they prepare, they will be free from conflicts or distractions so that they are rested and ready to fully embrace what God is preparing for them at camp. Please pray to our Heavenly Father that the children who have already come this year will take God’s word to heart and that the seeds planted will grow as they return to their foster and groups homes and reflect back on their experience at camp.

Love in Christ,

Matt and Tarrah Pritchett

Executive Directors

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Prayer Team Update: Winter Camp '17, Session #1

Dear Prayer Coordinators & Friends of Camp,

Our first winter camp was fantastic with two campers giving their hearts to Jesus. Jason Swanson our caretaker counseled our second camp last summer. He had a camper named Danny who comes from a very abusive past. Danny is a bright and happy boy who is very deliberate about everything he does. He likes his clothes organized in just the right way, his plate at dinner is just as organized as is his suitcase, and every decision he makes is going to be just the same, organized in his way. Last summer Jason shared the gospel with Danny, and he was not ready to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. “But God” had a different plan for Danny this winter.

As with many of our campers if they do not commit to follow Jesus their first time at camp they do on their second visit to camp which is usually winter camp. Danny sat talking to his counselor Pascual while on one-on-one and heard the gospel again. This time he was ready to hear the good news. After Pascual finished sharing, Danny asked, “Can I become a Christian right now, or do I need to wait?” Pascual with a huge smile on his face said, “No you don’t need to wait, you can pray right now to receive Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior!” Danny was born again to a new life at that moment.

I have heard similar stories so many times at camp, I cannot keep count. One person tills the dry hard ground, another plants the seed, another waters, and God causes the growth, then finally the harvest. Thank you for praying for Danny and watering the seed that was planted last summer. The harvest is truly plentiful, and the workers are few. Please pray to our Heavenly Father to send more workers to partner with you and I in bringing the good news to abused children.

Love in Christ,

Matt & Tarrah Pritchett

Executive Directors

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