Winter Camp 2013 - Session 2. Feb. 1-3 - 7-9th Graders

Winter 2002

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Thank you so much for all your prayers for camp last weekend. This was our first time directing on our own and God was very gracious to us. We know that your prayers are a huge part of that! We started out the weekend a little rocky. Jeremy and I had put so much work and preparation into being ready for this new big step, but the enemy never stops trying to sabotage what the Lord is trying to do. Before Jeremy even made it down the hill we got a phone call that a camper was sick and would not make it to camp. Upon reaching Orange County he found out that another camper had totally forgotten about camp. Then when he reached Ontario he was informed that two more campers thought they were registered for the following weekend. We lost four campers in a matter of hours and we only had 8 registered to begin with. We tried not to panic but we couldn’t help but feel frustrated and disappointed. Back at camp, the counselors and I were praying up a storm that God would work it all out. Then we learned that another camper left the meeting spot in Banning because the bus was running late. We made a plan of action for two of our counselors to drive down to Hemet and pick up this camper, we sent one counselor home and had two more that volunteered to be helpers for the weekend. When we had the campers draw names for their counselor for the weekend it worked out perfectly and everyone seemed to be matched with the perfect person.

The next morning I overheard some of the campers talking about how fun the weekend was going to be and how it was so small and special because we were like a family. It truly was like a little family camp. Axel was a camper who really enjoyed this aspect of camp. His energy was amazing and being able to give him so much attention, and allowing him to answer as many questions as he wanted, was perfect for him. I specifically remember his excitement for playing Catch Phrase together one evening. He seemed to really feel free to be his whole-self and to allow us to love him as he is. Raymond, another camper, had such a kind heart. He was so mellow and gentle, and was so sweet with his words. It was great to see him come alive with excitement, but also ask some very serious questions about faith. Nick was the quietest of the three but that boy had the Word hidden in his heart. He would bring up Scripture and relate it to what we were discussing even when we hadn’t brought it up. Carenna, our only girl camper for the weekend, was spoiled rotten with attention from all the JC’s and girl counselors. She had a very special heart, very affectionate and loving. Continue to pray for each of these as God works in their lives to turn ashes into beauty. And for those that you prayed for that didn’t come to camp, they need prayer as well. All of our campers are in unique and difficult situations.

Beyond the hiccup that we encountered at the beginning, God blessed us with such a smooth camp and a group of loving children that were excited to soak up the theme of being Rooted in Jesus. What a blessing it is to know that we are all being prayed for by name. We know it makes all the difference in the world. We know that Satan roams around like a roaring lion trying to devour us, but when we pray, our spiritual armor is increased and the battle belongs to the Lord! Thank you again for your faithful service to God’s work and ministry here at camp.

Blessings, 

Jeremy & Amy Allen

JC Training January 2013 - Jan 18-21, 2013

Dear Prayer Partners,

It is with great joy that I have the opportunity to share with you about our JC Training Camp two weekends ago. We had 24 Junior Counselors, three Summer Staff, six Directors, and two director children for the whole weekend. It was a packed house! The Lord moved in the hearts of the Junior Counselors as we spent time considering our Winter Camp theme “Rooted” and went through a chunk of the JC Training material. Before I tell any stories, I want to thank you for praying for all of us and being faithful to constantly lift up the weekend to God. We take much comfort in your prayers and know that they are of the utmost importance for the success of the ministry. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

Nathan is a Junior Counselor that I got to know this past summer. If I remember correctly, I got to spend two weeks with him and thoroughly enjoyed my time. Nathan is a very hard worker and determined young man. The odds are against him though, as he fights to stay strong and healthy because of degenerative disease. Nathan didn’t share this with me during the summer, but over the JC Training Camp during our Prayer Group Nathan expressed the anger that he feels because of what he is going through and how it affects him and his friends. We took the opportunity to pray for him and lift up his struggles to Jesus right there. The climax of the weekend came for Nathan during our Cross and Communion session when he had the opportunity to write down his struggles on a piece of paper and see it burn up. At camp, we have some special flash paper that lights on fire, burns very quickly, and leaves no ash behind. It is always a very powerful time as the campers and JC’s see their struggles, sin, and shame burn up on the cross of Christ. Anyways, after the session, Nathan approached Amy and I and told us of the freedom that he felt from his anger. He explained to us how angry and upset he had become and how God set him free from those feelings when he gave them to the Lord. Praise God for the work in Nathan’s heart!

Larissa was a JC leader in disguise. That is, until she came up for training. She is one of our newest camper JC’s who came for the weekend. She also, was in our Prayer Group and really impressed us with her sincere and heartfelt prayers for her peers. She took everyone by surprise with her budding leadership skills and friendly spirit. The moment we saw this came when we challenged the JC’s with our Group Initiative. The task was to pass a marble from pipe to pipe from one end of the house to other and then put the marble into a small cup. This doesn’t sound very difficult, but when one teammate is blind, another mute, one missing a foot, and all only being able to hold it with one hand, then it becomes a challenge. Larissa, despite the challenge, took charge during the Group Initiative and really led her team with love and care. All of the directors were so impressed. Praise the Lord for this new JC!

Thank you again for praying for us. As you can see from Nathan and Larissa’s stories, your prayers make a difference in the lives of all who come to camp. May you be blessed for your partnership in this ministry.

                                                                                                In Christ,

                                                                                                Jeremy Allen, Assistant Director

Winter Camp 2013 - Session 1 - Jan. 4-6 - 4-6th Grade

Dear Prayer Warriors,

            I first wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for partnering in ministry with all of us here at Camp Alandale. Without the prayer the work that is done here at Camp by the Counselors, Junior Counselors, and Directors would not be nearly as fruitful as it is. So thank you, we covet your prayers.

            Well it was a fantastic first camp secession here at Camp Alandale. The 4^th through 6^th graders were so excited when the bus arrived to pick them up at the three different stops. We would open the doors and be greeted with smiles of children waiting to come up to Camp. It always amazes me how much the campers love our simple camp and simple program. I am realizing more and more what brings them back and what they love is the presence of God at camp, plus the love of counselors, the hugs, the encouragement, and the kinship they feel with other campers. A camper said to me that “this is the only place he goes where everyone understands what it feels like to be a foster kid and where everybody loves me”. Your prayers play a large part in this. Your prayers wage battle against the principalities and powers that want to frustrate campers and counselors alike. They attempt to stop what the Lord does at Camp, but we know Who has the victory!

            During the introductions at Camp everyone stands up one by one and says their name, where they are from, and then something about themselves, like what their favorite thing about Camp is, or their favorite ice-cream. One boy got up and said that his favorite thing was the friends he has at camp. He then pointed across the room at two boys and said, “you’re not my friends yet, but I know you will be by the end of the weekend”.  He sat down with a big smile knowing that Camp is the kind of place where everyone is accepted and loved, and the new boys would surely be his friends by the end of the next day.

            The most memorable time for me that weekend was during a time where we were able to give our burdens back to the Lord. We wrote them down on small pieces of paper and then put them in the fire. We saw them disappear and thought about how Jesus took our sins away and takes are burdens upon Himself. Later one of the girls came to me and said, “You know I was really able to give Jesus a burden that I have been carrying, even though I know the person that wronged me doesn’t even feel bad about it, I can still forgive them and now I can pray for them”. I know many of the campers felt the same way. All of the little ones that come to Camp have been hurt so much. I thank God for that we all get to be part of their healing, and your prayers make all the difference.

In Christ’s Service,

Matt Pritchett

Camp Director

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