Middle School Camp

Hey team!

In about one hour, this place will be flooded with about 150 middle school campers! We have spent the day in meetings, moving into and decorating our cabins, and running any last-minute errands. All of the counselors received their cabin assignments before lunch and are excited to see our old campers and meet their new ones.

      We have an extremely busy week ahead of us; almost every minute is planned full of devotions, games, meals, and chapel services.  Last night (our only camper-free night) was interrupted at 3 am by the fire alarm going off. Thankfully, there was no fire, but we weren't too happy to be woken up. That said, we may be a little extra tired going into the week, but we'll probably have the campers equally worn out by the end of the night. Finger crossed the alarm doesn't go off again tonight!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Counselors: These are the people who will spend every waking moment with their campers. Meals, cabin devotions, free time, chapel times, and games. Not only are they in charge of taking care of and hanging out with their campers (each counselor has 6-9 campers), but they also will have many opportunities to share with their campers about Jesus. Please pray for these opportunities to be abundant and fruitful. Please also pray that our counselors will stay healthy, be blessed with extra energy, and will lead their cabins with wisdom. Our head counselors are here to support all of the counselors, bless them. They run all over camp providing prayer, snacks, breaks, and discipline if needed. Pray for wisdom and energy for them as well!

Speakers/worship team: We have several speakers. Joe is our head speaker who will be speaking during our evening chapel, and we have a handful of others who will be leading initiatives in the morning. Please pray that God will speak powerfully through them and the campers will be receptive to their messages. Please pray for the worship team to stay healthy and maintain their energy. Worship is many of the campers' favorite parts of camp and we are grateful for such a great team.

Game leaders/Video staff: These guys are always working to create fun here at camp! The game leaders will be leading games and fun activities for about 6 hours every day, which doesn't include all the work they put in to set up the games! Our video crew works tirelessly filming and editing fun videos, many of which star our more extroverted campers. At the end of the night we all gather and watch these videos, which all the campers love. It's a great way to end the day! Please pray for energy for our game and film teams. Pray that they will be well organized and games and filming will run smoothly.

Nurses: We have two great nurses this week who are responsible for any medications the campers need, as well as first aid and sunscreen (the most important part of camp). I was able to speak with one of the nurses directly, and she requested prayer for a soft heart, and to see what God sees.

Kitchen Staff/Extra Staff: We love these people. They are in the kitchen for hours each day, cooking, serving, and cleaning. They take excellent care of us. They also do an excellent job at providing a steady supply of coffee, which is appreciated by all the rest of our staff. They also help games, free time, and snack shack run smoothly.

Directors: Our directors our here to lead, offer support, and make sometimes difficult decisions. Please pray that they will be filled with wisdom. We are extremely grateful for all they do in the planning and leading of our camps. Our head director, Mathias, asks for confidence and encouragement for our staff; many of them are new and experienced.

Campers: Last, but certainly not least, please pray for our campers. Pray of safety, close friendships, and open hearts eager to hear about Jesus. We are so excited to see how God moves in their hearts!

Thank you so much! I will try to update you all a couple times this week when I get a spare moment!