Summer Camp 2012 – Session 7 – August 13-18 – High School

Hello all you Prayer Warriors,

What an amazing summer it has been. Tarrah and I have been truly blessed to become part of the year round staff here at Camp Alandale. We look forward to growing into our new roles as Camp Directors and hope that all of you will be praying for our family, Matt, Tarrah, Aiden, and Piper.

We have seen the Lord do some incredible things in the lives of so many of the campers this year, but I want to share a story of a camper who has become dear to my heart. His name is Raul, and he was so broken and angry when he got to camp. Raul had been here to Camp Alandale a couple of times and had even made a profession of faith a few years ago. Raul has been in the Foster Care System for around six years and hoped every day to be reunited with his family. He has two sisters that had returned home to live with his mother, and his mother was getting custody of him back. Raul went to his court hearing with excitement expecting to be reunited with his mom and sisters and sure enough his mother was given custody of him, JOY, JOY, JOY! Without skipping a beat his mom stood up in the hearing and said “I don’t want him back, you can keep him”. His heart broke as did mine at hearing the story from his counselor.

Raul came to camp with more sorrow and frustration than I have ever seen in a camper. His agony came out in bursts of anger. His eyes would fill with rage when asked to do simple tasks like handing a spatula back to the person cooking the evening meal around his teams table. POW – Screams of profanity came shooting out of his mouth like fire, threats of running away and assaults were regularly shouted as Raul dealt with the torment inside him. He spent the first three days at camp directing much of that rage at me. My heart broke for him. Many of the staff and counselors committed to praying for him and some even decided to fast from food and water for the first two meals of the day while lifting him to our Lord in prayer. At Camp we try to look at the outburst we see from campers as a question rather than a statement. The question is, “will you love me, will you love me unconditionally even when I am hating you; will you love me with the love of Jesus even when I reject Him and reject you”? They ask, “Will you be just like everyone else, or will you love me even though I am being bad”? It is hard to keep this outlook in the thick of the battle for the souls of these precious ones. The enemy is coming against us in every way possible. The real work is done by so many of you as you pray for the salvation of the campers, as you wage spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of these precious ones. Sometimes in life it is hard to see the spiritual battle, it is not that way here at Camp Alandale. We see the battle play out right in front of us. We see generational sin broken. We see the enemy defeated in the lives of many of the kids that come to camp each year.

Raul was not a casualty in the battle. By Thursday his thoughts of suicide had been replaced with hope in the Lord. God supernaturally broke through and Raul was a different boy. His countenance had changed from darkness to light. We talked and he thanked me for not sending him home early in the week. Raul remembered that Jesus has a plan for him. Raul is doing pretty well. He has begun attending a church near his group home and is getting involved with a youth group there. We hope that he will grow this year and maybe even become a Junior Counselor next year. Please pray for Raul, that the enemy will not be able to steal him away again. Pray the he finds a family that will love him with the agape love of Christ. Pray for us at camp that we have wisdom, patience, love and compassion on His precious children who have suffered so much abuse.

Love in Christ,
Matt Pritchett, Camp Director

Summer 2012 Session 6 - August 6-11 - High School

Dear Prayer Warriors,

This past week was powerful in a lot of ways, and we were blessed to be on the “frontline”. Our time with the campers was fun, yet compelling.

The first thing Angelo told me was that he wasn’t “religious”. He said his sisters go to church, but that wasn’t him. He told me he loved doing graffiti art. He also said he enjoyed doing body art, where he would paint images on the naked bodies of girls he knew, because he was sometimes able to get “lucky”. At the beginning of the week, he wouldn’t participate very much during amphitheater time. At one point in the beginning of the week, he told a staff member he was never coming back to this place. He did, however, participate during the Bible studies; he would read out of the Bible, answer questions, and seemed engaged much of the time. As the week progressed, he started to participate more during amphitheater, and on one of our last one-on-ones, he told me he was thinking about becoming a Christian. I told him that was awesome, but also that he needed to count the cost, and understand that though he didn’t need to clean up his act in order to come to Christ, he could expect God to change him after surrendering to Him. He didn’t end up praying to accept Christ before he left, but he did say he was for sure planning on returning for winter camp.

             One of the most interesting and challenging experiences I had this entire summer at camp would have to be Lucy. She was a beautiful girl who told me right off the bat that she was agnostic and she didn’t want to change that. She said that she was open to hearing about God but that she wanted her views to be respected and that she was not a believer or a Christian. Throughout the week we kept talking and she would be engaged in what we were talking about and she said that she liked the time that we spent one on one together where we would talk about God. On the last night of camp she watched a skit that we performed that really moved her and she started to cry. She didn’t stop crying the entire night that night as we continued on with the pine cone ceremony and other activities. That night after it was all over she told me, “I think I’m a Christian now”. Together we were able to pray the sinner’s prayer together and I know that she left camp a changed woman.

            A very strange experience I had this last week was with Freddy. We began the week and he told me how he didn’t believe in God and that he had been up here a few years now and that’s where he stood. As the week progressed he stood his ground and continued to say that he did not believe in God. But in the last few days his attitude changed and he said he believes in God but not in Christianity. Which changed again to; I just don’t want God in my life right now. At the end of camp he was standing up and singing in all of the worship songs and even engaged in the bible studies. Where he did not accept Christ he still told me this is the closest to God he has ever been. When he was about to go down the mountain he told me that this was his favorite week of camp and that of the four years he had been up here he had never liked a counselor before me. A radical change happened in his heart from the beginning of the week until he left Saturday afternoon.

Thank you for your continued prayer support!  May God bless you for your faithfulness.

Jonny, Hannah and Kris (Summer Staff)

Summer 2012 Session 5 - July 30 to Aug. 4 - High School

Dear Prayer Warriors,

                 This past week was powerful in a lot of ways, and we were blessed to be on the “frontline”.  Our time with the campers was fun, yet compelling.

                 The first thing Angelo told me was that he wasn’t “religious”.  He said his sisters go to church, but that wasn’t him.  He told me he loved doing graffiti art.  He also said he enjoyed doing body art, where he would paint images on the naked bodies of girls he knew, because he was sometimes able to get “lucky”.  At the beginning of the week, he wouldn’t participate very much during amphitheater time.  At one point in the beginning of the week, he told a staff member he was never coming back to this place.  He did, however, participate during the Bible studies; he would read out of the Bible, answer questions, and seemed engaged much of the time.  As the week progressed, he started to participate more during amphitheater, and on one of our last one-on-ones, he told me he was thinking about becoming a Christian.  I told him that was awesome, but also that he needed to count the cost, and understand that though he didn’t need to clean up his act in order to come to Christ, he could expect God to change him after surrendering to Him.  He didn’t end up praying to accept Christ before he left, but he did say he was for sure planning on returning for winter camp.

                One of the most interesting and challenging experiences I had this entire summer at camp would have to be Lucy. She was a beautiful girl who told me right off the bat that she was agnostic and she didn’t want to change that. She said that she was open to hearing about God but that she wanted her views to be respected and that she was not a believer or a Christian. Throughout the week we kept talking and she would be engaged in what we were talking about and she said that she liked the time that we spent one-on-one together where we would talk about God. On the last night of camp she watched a skit that we performed that really moved her and she started to cry. She didn’t stop crying the entire night that night as we continued on with the pine cone ceremony and other activities. That night after it was all over she told me, “I think I’m a Christian now”. Together we were able to pray the sinner’s prayer together and I know that she left camp a changed woman.

                A very strange experience I had this last week was with Freddy. We began the week and he told me how he didn’t believe in God and that he had been up here a few years now and that’s where he stood. As the week progressed he stood his ground and continued to say that he did not believe in God. But in the last few days his attitude changed and he said he believes in God but not in Christianity. Which changed again to; I just don’t want God in my life right now. At the end of camp he was standing up and singing all of the worship songs and even engaged in the bible studies. Where he did not accept Christ he still told me this is the closest to God he has ever been. When he was about to go down the mountain he told me that this was his favorite week of camp and that of the four years he had been up here he had never like a counselor before me. A radical change happened in his heart from the beginning of the week until he left Saturday afternoon. 

Thank you for your continued prayer support!  May God bless you for your faithfulness.

Jonny, Hannah and Kris (Summer Staff)

Summer Camp 2012 Session 4 - July 23-27 - High School

Dear Praying Friends,

            I want to begin by thanking all of you for your spirit-filled and powerful prayers for our campers last week. God was more than faithful to answer your prayers concerning the staff, counselors, junior counselors, and campers last week. We feel so blessed to be here at Camp Alandale and take part in God’s ministry first-hand. However, our work would not be possible without yours, for which we are so grateful. During this past week, July 23-27, God moved in mighty ways.

            As a counselor last week I faced quite a few questions. Is Jesus real? Does God really care about me? Do you think my parents really love me? Is it normal for parents to fight? Are you my friend? These are tough questions, but questions that need to be answered, especially when considering the things that the campers have faced up to this point in their lives. Although I tried to come up with the best answers possible, my prayer and your prayer was that God would give me, along with all the other counselors and staff, the words to speak truth and love to the campers.

            David’s story begins the moment we were sitting at the table assigning campers to teams and explaining the camp rules. Almost anytime someone said something he would yell out in a loud voice and raise his hands. Repeatedly, he screamed out, laughing and smiling each time. Yes, he was excited to be at camp and yes, he was louder than any other camper I had ever met. Very quickly, however, I began to realize that behind the boisterous and happy face that he put on was a kid with low self-esteem and very few friends. I also learned very quickly that David needed a lot of hugs and a lot of affirmation. David’s background was not unlike the other campers that came to Camp Alandale. If anything, David did not think that his story, in comparison to the other campers’ stories, was very bad at all and hoped to one day be reunited with his father and mother. Still, David needed a lot of love. David held everything together until Thursday afternoon when the walls fell down. We were standing in front of the sinks as tears welled in his eyes and he began to fire off questions like I shared above. It was also then that I got to tell David that I was his friend, but more than that, Jesus was his friend. It was there that I told David that I loved him, but more importantly that God loved him. It was there that I told David that more than having friends, those who believe in Jesus are his brothers and sisters in Christ. These were truths that David needed to hear. Although David continued to look down upon himself and ask these questions throughout the rest of camp, there was joy in my heart when I saw him praising God during the last amphitheater session. Rather than using his voice to yell out and call attention to himself, he was using his voice to praise his Father in heaven. It was even more encouraging that throughout victory circle he continuously called the people around him his brothers and sisters in Christ.

            David’s story at camp last week is very similar to the other campers’ stories. Although, I only have room to tell you David’s story today, I want you to know that many other campers like David faced themselves and their hurt last week and saw that they are loved and cared for by Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us in this ministry! Praise be to God!

Blessings,

Jeremy Allen

Staff/Counselor

Summer Camp 2012 Session 3 - July 16-20

Dear Prayer Partners,

                This last week was for many reasons intense.  We began the week with two girls having to be sent home, which is not a common event by any means.  While it was sad to see them leave, their departure from here turned out to be a huge blessing.  They were both so over bearing on the staff and counselors that we were not able to give the attention need to the other campers.  After they left we immediately realized many others were in need of attention, which they could now receive.  This camp had many campers who were very angry at God and at themselves.  So throughout the week there were high tempers and many close calls with some campers.  But God is good and he showed the campers how amazing his love and grace is and many received huge amounts of healing and comfort.  Since the week turned out nothing like we planned, it just goes to show that Gods plan is far better than anything we can come up with.

                God’s healing is so great and strong here at Camp Alandale.  This past week there was  a camper who was a very good kid but he had a lot of hurt in his life, most of which was inflicted by his own parents. His step father would burn him with cigarettes, starve him, beat him, and at one point actually stabbed him with a knife. His testimony was very powerful and it hurt just to hear it. A few nights later he and I were on a one-on-one (this is a half hour in which a counselor and a camper sit down and just talk) and we started talking about forgiveness.  He didn’t feel like he could ever forgive his parents and didn’t understand how any of the other campers could ever forgive their parents. Then I brought up Gods love and forgiveness that he gives us and the fact that He died for our sins even when we didn’t deserve it, while we were still sinning and while we hated him. He then broke down in tears and started to feel the forgiveness that God had for him.  He was then ready to give it right back to his parents and try to work out having a relationship with them.  What a miracle.

                Quite possibly one of the greatest victories this week was a camper named Lily. She came off the bus very angry and upset that she continued that way at camp. She most definitely had problems with authority, and didn’t participate in anything the first two days. By Wednesday she started feeling a little more comfortable with people and would only do things if she was asked. Thursday during testimony time she was able to share and release everything that had happened to her. She was abused both physically and verbally by her mother continuously. Once we were able to go up to our tents that night she opened up and was more like herself for the first time the whole week. She was acting silly and enjoyed herself more than ever.  She shared with me that she has never felt so safe or comfortable in such a long time. She said that Camp Alandale was her home and she never wanted to leave. When Friday afternoon came and it was time for all the campers to leave she didn’t want to go and started crying. God does have his hand around Camp Alandale and He works everything out for his purpose and for his good. 

Thanks for praying,

Summer Staff

Summer Camp 2012 Session 2 - July 2-6

Hello praying friends,

This summer has begun with a great couple weeks. There has been plenty of love shown and healing done in these campers lives. These are a few stories from our staff who counseled this last camp.

The first week of Junior High in the most simple of words was a blast. We had twenty two wonderful campers. Of these campers I was blessed with Vincent and Andrea. How God blessed the relationships between me and my campers was beyond my imagination. They trusted me with their hearts from the beginning of the week. Andrea was my camper last year. Since she and I had an established relationship she was comfortable in opening up to me about the deeper parts of her story. Vincent came last year and remembered me as the nurse and I got to know him a little last year. Because of this establishment He opened up from on our first one on one. Both of my camper’s stories were hard to listen to; yet throughout the week I was able to see the Lord be victorious in their lives. Watching the Lord breaking bits and pieces of bondage that Satan tried so hard to encase them in was a blessing to see. Seeing how the both of them have their smiles brighten throughout the week made my day. Praise God for His victory in these campers lives. Thank you for praying for camp. We have seen the power behind the tool of prayer. Blessings,       -Kayla 

                This was my first week of counseling and I could not have started it out in a better of way. I had two amazing campers named Nick and Ruben. At the beginning of the week I had no idea what to expect with these two, they both were first time campers and didn’t know what to expect either. God used this situation in an amazing way when Nick while reaching out to find friends found it in God; he came up not knowing if he would see his best friend after because he was moving to a different foster home. Because he was upset about this and I encouraged it to give it to God, to which he did. Ruben was a completely different situation; he was, well a little girl crazy. He spent his entire week talking about them. But by the end of the week, after finally getting his ‘girlfriend,’ he realized that God had much better plans and they didn’t include her. We talked literally just before he left on the bus, he told me that he wanted to know God so much more and couldn’t wait to come back. God’s work has been amazing in their lives and so many more. God bless,   –Kris

                This past week I was blessed to counsel Herman and Hugo. Although each of my boys professed to be Christians, I knew that they each had a ways to go. I’m thankful for the time focused solely on God that we were able to share together. I know that spiritual seeds were planted in their lives this week and I am confident that God will continue to draw them to Him. One of my favorite moments this week happened during Bible study time on Friday. We happened to finish a few minutes early, so I had the boys role play with each other. I had one pretend to be a Christian and the other pretend to be a friend who didn’t know God. Although previously during the week they had trouble focusing on the study, I was incredibly blessed to see them telling each in a simplistic, heartfelt way how to accept Jesus. Praise be to God and his abundant mercy. In Him,   –Brian

Thanks again for all your prayers and support for God’s ministry!  -Summer Staff

Summer Camp 2012 Session 1 - June 18-22

Dear Praying Friends,

            Thank you all for your sincere payers for us this past week here at Camp Alandale. We are grateful to see how God has used you here at camp through your commitment to lift up our campers, JCs, counselors, and staff. During this past week, June 18-22, God’s power could not have been more evident.

            The first week of camp always feels like riding a bike after having taken a yearlong break. You’re unsure how to make the pedals go or how to stay upright, and you’re confused about which direction to turn in order to reach your destination. This week’s fourth through sixth grade camp wasn’t much different from that, yet all the while God kept us upright even when we felt we might fall.

             I had two beautiful girl campers, while my husband, Jeremy, had two adventurous boys. Together we made up the yellow team. We were the smallest team, but that allowed us to grow closer. At first the campers weren’t too sure of each other, but by mid week we were acting like a little family. I was so impressed by their love for one another; they even liked spending time together when we weren’t doing team activities. One thing in particular that warmed my heart, when it was time to load the bus to go on the Thursday hike, and our whole team decided to sit together in the back of the bus. Teaching kids about what it means to be adopted into God’s family is a powerful part of what camp does, and we had the privilege of seeing the joy that teaching brought to our small team. During a final one on one time Jeremy was able to share with his camper Angel about being adopted into God’s family. When Angel finally realized that although he longed for the prospect of being adopted into a physical earthly family, he was already adopted into God’s spiritual and earthly family of believers, you could see the excitement on his face.

            From the way my camper, Skylah, kept her turtle stuffed animal close at hand I could tell that she was a bit unsure and nervous. She was timid, but it didn’t take long for her to warm up to camp life. Soon she was acting as if she had been coming to camp for years. From her confidence on the ropes course, to strutting her stuff at the tea party, joy exuded from her beautiful face. On the second night she even boldly volunteered to give her testimony for the first time. Her story was jumbled and unclear and during our one-on-one times the story grew longer. Like a rope wound up too tight that was finally released, her story unraveled.  Her life seemed like a revolving door of people, with a mom who was trying her hardest to just stay off the streets. As the week progressed I worried that she was checking out. I suspected that the dazed look on her face was due to her being overwhelmed by the depth of her own vulnerability and the realization that her home’s environment was unstable compared to camp’s. I thank God for your prayers, which I believe enabled her to stay engaged and grow through the rest of camp. She continued to ask the hard questions even up until our last day. Please continue praying for Skylah’s situation, and that God would help her to come to know him personally as her Savior as well as bring healing to her heart and mind.

            As you can tell, God worked in mighty ways this week at camp, and this is just the beginning of it. There were so many more campers and counselors that you all prayed for that were touched by God. We thank God for the eternal blessings that are happening every day at camp, and for your part in that!

Sincerely in Christ,

Amy Allen, Staff/Counselor

Summer Staff Training 2012 - June 10-15

Dear prayer family,

            Greetings and thank you for your prayers! This past week I watched as God took a diverse group of people and knit them together into a team. I have been on staff a few years now, as have many of the staff. However, this year more than any other I was impressed by the love for the Lord and kids in the foster system that each of these staff members have.

            Several times during this training week the staff made it a point to get together for prayer and devotions in addition to those scheduled in the program. In past summers, the staff normally meets at 6:45 for devotions together. However, we all decided that we should get together earlier on the weeks when camps occur to pray specifically for the day. Just as God has impressed the extreme importance of prayer on our lives, I am thankful that He has done the same in your lives. I can only attribute the abundant spiritual atmosphere to the prayers being offered up to God by His saints. Before Jesus started his ministry on earth He made it a point to be alone and prepare himself for the ministry that He was going to do. In a similar way, I am thankful for the week that we had prior to camp where we could prepare ourselves physically and spiritually to serve these children.

            Having the knowledge that we are being covered in prayer, it is with much anticipation that I look forward to this summer, and I am confident that God will work mightily both in the hearts of those serving and those being served. We covet your prayers.

                                                                                    In Him,

                                                                        Brian and the Camp Alandale Staff

Wiinter 2012 - Session 9 Update

We prayed for this last camp to be Christ centered, that the campers would hear about Jesus and feel his love.  God answered our prayers!

This was the last fourth through sixth grade camp for the season.  We had seven boys and four girls. It was a great combination for having fun, learning more about Jesus and enjoying God’s creation.  The boys had this sweetness about them, they were gentle and loving.  They knew how to play hard, yet when it was time, they settled down, listened and participated. The girls bonded with each other.  They were a bit more quite, but they still were taking it all in.

It rained for most of the day on Saturday.  We moved forward with sharing the message of Triumph though a deep study of David & Goliath.  The campers engaged and enjoyed seeing the story come to life through wild and crazy Camp Alandale skits!  Cabin fever was starting to set in by the afternoon.  But as the campers prayed, the rain turned to snow just before dinner.  They had just enough time to get wet and cold before the sun went to bed.

By morning almost 18 inches of snow covered the ground.  Most of the campers were up and ready to play early, yet the freezing temperature of 24 degrees brought them back inside quickly to warm up by the fire.  Similar to being warmed by the fire, are the cold realities of this world turned into the warm promises of Jesus’ presence, power and provision.

One camper continued to remember the lessons from the session about getting past our past.  We talked about how big Goliath was, and how he taunted the Israelites for 40 days, night and day, just bugging them and putting more and more fear and doubt into them.  She recounted this time as if she knew this as her own personal struggle.  For so many of the campers, what has happened to them, be it abuse, neglect, the moving from place to place and not feeling loved or connected to a family, becomes their identity and hinders their view of who they really are.  This struggle seemed to reign true here.  But God was getting the glory in the release of these lies to grasping the truth of our identity in Christ.  In Him, we are unconditionally loved, completely forgiven and chosen and valuable.

We were able to enjoy the snow more with sledding, snowman making, snow angles and snowball fights, and a whole bunch of digging out before the weekend came to a close.  The good-byes were sweet yet sad, only a few tears were shed.  We have confidence in our Lord and Savior that He goes home with each one of these precious campers and that His word and love will reign true in their hearts.

Mike & Lisa Towler