Almost Stolen Joy

So it has taken me awhile to write for a few reasons.  At first it was mostly because how was I ever going to sum up five camps.  How was I going to condense all the memories, all the laughter and everything God had done in the lives of these kids.  And then it was because I was feeling a little discouraged.  Thursday night a couple of guys on a motorbike popped the hood of my truck and stole three parts, right out of the hood.  And right then and there it was like my joy was stolen.  And when I got to thinking if of it more, that is just what the enemy wants to do is steal our joy.  And he has been at it from even before camps started.  With lost and stolen cell phones and the discouragement of truck shopping (until we found one).  During the camp with broken and shattered bathroom sinks during a game of mission impossible (still not to sure how that happened), to having to get my overheated truck towed back to Bogota and then of course the end of camp with my truck getting broken into.

But here is the thing, lost cell phones, broken sinks and trucks and trucks getting broken into, all that is temporary and can be dealt with and replaced, but His joy is eternal, and all the laughter and joy and touched hearts that happened during the three weeks of camp, that is eternal and the enemy can’t touch that.  We don’t have to let our joy be stolen.  I was walking into my apartment last night, feeling discouraged and heavy hearted but then I got to thinking about camp and about the little funny things that happened during the different camps and I couldn’t help but smile and even laugh a little and I thought again, what is a broken in truck compared to those three weeks of camp.

During all of the camps I couldn’t help but think of how blessed I was to be able to love these precious kids.  How blessed I was to just get a little glimps of how much God loves these kids.  How blessed I was to see them laugh and have fun and be kids.

And all the little memories that we made and that I could be part of.  Like giving the kids fruit roll ups and not explaining how you eat them so they ate some of the plastic (we learned our lesson after the first camp and gave a short tutorial so it wouldn’t happen again).

One little girl was so closed off and I could hardly even get her to smile, let alone laugh and I think I am pretty funny, but yet she wouldn’t smile, but finally on the bus on the way home, she was laughing so hard she was crying.

In the older girls camps they gave testimonies of how they are leaving happier, with a happiness that they have never known before and leaving healed and free.

You see the kids need this so much.  They need to get away, the need a break from life.  They need a place where they can feel safe and loved and they need a place where they can be kids.

I also had the most amazing staff at every camp and I am sooooooo thankful for them and so excited to see God bringing up a permanent Camp Gozo team.

One last detail to share, over half the kids in each camp making a commitment to follow Jesus.

So like I said, what is broken down and into trucks and lost cell phones and broken sinks compared to everything else.

I will not let my joy be stolen.

P.S There are like a thousand pictures so I am going to just share one from each camp and also one of why a truck was needed.

Thanks once again, I can’t say it enough, for all your prayers and support and encouragement, like I say every time, and I will stand by my word, we really do feel all the prayers and love.