Colombia

First of all I apologize that it has taken me so long to give an update.   Like my title says I have no idea where to start and I think that’s why I put it off.   The first Camp we did in October was almost perfect, pretty much as perfect as one could get on earth.   I think I needed that because I had a lot of anxiety with the first camp in October and I was really worried that everything would go wrong and it would be a big flat fail and all the praying and anticipation for the past two years would be all for nothing and as soon as Camp Gozo started, that it would be all over after just one week.   But it wasn’t like that, it was awesome, everything, from the weather to the staff to the activities, really everything. But this year it wasn’t perfect and I was a little discouraged if I am being honest.   The two days with the boys was a little discouraging.   They didn’t want to do anything; it was a fight to get them to participate i...

Just over 10 days till the first camp of  the year starts…. I am so excited and so thankful that as of yet I am not stressed out, last year at this time I was having minor panic attacks.  My list of things to do is getting smaller and smaller and I am so thankful for my team here who are taking some of my responsibilities so I have time to focus on getting camp stuff done.  I am thankful for a full staff, I was a little worried about having male staff for the boys camp but they all came through.  I am so excited for these kids and for the way that God is going to touch their hearts, I am so excited that they can come out and have fun and laugh and take a break break from their lives.  Walking around their neighbourhood just breaks my heart and I can't even imagine growing up where they live.  I am so excited, or feel so blessed to be part of what God is going to do in their lives and feeling so blessed that I can see just a glimpse of how much God loves the...

It´s getting closer, in just over a month the first Camp Gozo of 2014 will start.  I am beyond excited, a little freaked out at times but soooo excited.  Things are coming together, still lots to do but things are coming together nicely. June 17-18 will be boys ages 8-10 June 19-20 will be girls ages 8-10 June 24-27 Teen girls ages 14 and up That will be a total of 90 kids.  Don´t worry the rest of the age groups will come in October and December. As I mentioned things are coming together nicely, staff is coming together, the schedule and games and activities are coming together.  The place we rent is coming together.  And I am basically just so thankful that this dream that God has placed on my heart for these children He loves so much is coming together and growing and for the team of people, both here and afar, that are excited about this vision and are becoming apart of it. What I need from you is prayer, more prayer and then when you think you´...

I can’t thing of a better way do describe this past month or so.   The oasis of this month is that I went to a beautiful Colombian town called Villa de Leyva for four days to meet with this missionary family from the States who are involved in camp ministry.   I got to go out and see the camp that they have and talk to David, the head honcho, who also has a heart for camp ministry.   It was so nice talking to him and hearing his experiences doing camp ministry in cross-cultural setting.   I also had really nice time visiting with his wife who is so hospitable and very down to earth.   It was so nice to talk to her about the ups and downs of the life of a missionary.   They have been here for almost eight years and it was nice of her to impart some of her wisdom on me.   It was also a really nice, needed break from the everyday life of Ingie Letendre.   They have beautiful land out there and it is set up like a camp.   The o...

I know I always say this and that this has been my goal time and time again to not wait so long between blog posts so I don’t have to start my blogs with it has been so long since I last wrote and so much happened…. But alas, it has been soooo long since I last wrote and so much has happened, well maybe not that much. I think I want to dedicate this blog to how thankful I am and how blessed I feel.   For those of you that don’t know, I went back to Canada for about five weeks for Christmas and I just felt so super blessed.   It really brings tears to me eyes to see how big of an army I have back home.   I really can’t even describe it,   I felt so encouraged by so many kind words, a lot probably undeserving.   I felt so blessed know how many people are praying,   I felt so blessed with so many people, even tons that I don’t know very well asking me about the camp.   I felt so blessed by all the hugs I received.   I felt s...

Words cannot even begin to describe the four days we had.   28 little hearts and lives were beyond blessed.   The weather was perfect, only rained once at night when were sleeping and then for about half hour before we left to go back.   The staff was awesome and we all worked so well together, I couldn’t of asked for a better team.   Really, I am sitting here trying to think of words to describe how amazing this week was.   I really wish I could capture the joy and laughter and smiles on these girls faces while they were playing the games, eating the food, enjoying the pool and getting endless hugs.   Prayers were for sure answered as we had no behavior problems, no unity problems; the cabins were awesome and worked so well together.   New friends were made and it just brought me so much joy to see girls from different neighborhoods hanging out together.   We definitely had a shield around us as well, with the weather and on Thur...

19 days and counting (that is if I finish writing this today and post it, if it’s tomorrow it will be 18 days and counting).   It has been crazy and busy and crazy and then a little more busy, but it´s ALMOST, ALMOST all together.  I have been excited, nervous, excited and little more nervous, overwhelmed, excited, grateful, excited and awed.  I have felt soo blessed by the encouragement and support that I have received in this past month and a bit, it has been incredible. We had our first staff meeting on Sunday and it is a great group of staff, there were a few girls that I haven’t met and a few that haven’t met each other, but we had a great time and it’s going to be a great team.  It was an answer to prayer because I wanted girls that didn’t work with the ministry and I wanted lot’s of Colombians and in a staff of 12, only 4 of us are foreigners.  So that is a huge answer to prayer. I also sent out an email for some of you to pray as the weeks the ...