Gozo

So here it is, and I can hardly contain my excitement in writing this.  Sitting praying that God gives me the words as when I am excited I have a tendency to ramble and not make sense.  So really hoping this makes sense.

For those of you who don’t know me very well, I will let you in on a little secret.  I LOVE CAMP.  I grew up going to Bethel Bible camp and it was so much part of my life growing up.  Leaving camp at the end of the week and then counting down the days until next year, only 364 more sleeps.  The people who have most spoken into my life and some of the best friends that I have to this day are from camp.  Then the summer came when I was old enough to take the counselors training program and be a counselor myself.  Needless to say I wanted to spend my whole summer out at camp.

After spending a year here in 2009 and then back home for a year wondering what I was going to do, I debated doing camp ministry, as I mentioned before I LOVE CAMP.  It’s something that I really believe in and think it’s a wonderful experience for kids to have.  For a lot of kids it’s a safe place, a place where they can be themselves, a break from every day life, just what they need to get them through the next year and I know most of them are like me, dread the end of camp and count down the days until next year.

When I was in Peru, doing my training school to return to work in Colombia, God placed a little, while maybe a big dream on my heart, to start a camp here in Colombia, for the kids we work with.  The kids we work with don’t have the opportunity to get out of the city very much, or for most of them not at all.  And as I am sure you have gathered, the environment that these kids come from it pretty tough and I know a lot of them would give anything for a break from their every day life.

So anyways after about a year and a half of praying and talking to my leaders here in Colombia, Mary, my mentor and to a couple of the elders in Capilano, things are finally starting to come together.  The plan is to do a “trial run” and see how it goes.  So in October 30 girls from the ages of 13-16 will board a bus for a four-day camp.

CRAZY

I am soo excited and freaking out all at the same time.  We are hoping to run it from Oct 7-10, with, as I mentioned 30 girls and around 15 staff (which we still need) and see how it goes.

So please pray.  I do have camp experience but the background of these girls brings it to a whole new level.  Instead of asking them if they brought their cell phones, we will need to ask if they brought a weapon or drugs.  They are also from different neighborhoods and people from the same neighborhoods stick together so that’s a whole new challenge as well.  Also about half of our staff does not have any camp experience.

Did I mention to pray?  There is so much to come together in such a short time and so much to do, like write up policy and procedures, orientation manuals and of coarse planning.  My schedule for the next bit will be a little more flexible but this will have to be done along with my other responsibilities.

Once we have a final list of girls and staff, I would love to have people partner with us in prayer for the girls and staff that are going as we are going to be in the middle of a battle.  So I would love to break the girls and staff up in groups and have people pray daily for this camp.

There is also the financial aspect, which again seems impossible but I know this is something that God really wants for his children and NOTHING, NOTHING is impossible for God.

There is so much about this dream that I want to share but I do feel like I am rambling.  Next year the plan is to do four weeks of camp and eventually (years) to have our own land instead of renting and have it all year around.

The name God has laid on my hear for this camp is, Camp Gozo (gozo means joy in Spanish) and a little vision statement that will probably be tweaked and changed but for now is: Where children can experience the joy and love of their Father.  And a verse that goes along with this is Nehemiah 8:10b The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Did I mention that I am SUPER excited and maybe just freaking out a bit….

So if any of you guys want to be part of this in anyway email me at napoleanishot@gmail.com, even if you want to come down and help, you will be more then welcome.

Thank you, thank you, thank you