Love Poured Out

It’s always hard to decide where to start when I update my blog, especially after a crazy amazing week at camp.

Maybe I will start with Esperanza.  She is going to school and has more determination than ever to finish and has more determination than ever to do a Discipleship training school and has way more interest in knowing God.  When camp was getting close I asked her if she wanted to be a camper or if she wanted to be my helper, thinking maybe she wouldn’t really want to share with the other girls seeing as her mom just passed away.  She chose to be a camper and it brought tears to my eyes seeing her laugh and play and even be a little crazy.  I know God is going to do amazing things with this crazy, beautiful, talented girl and I can’t wait to see what it is.

Now I guess its time to update you guys on camp.  First off I have to apologize that I won’t be posting any pictures.  First of all and didn’t really have any extra hands to take pictures so I don’t have that many (normally my girls do it but since they were campers, they were a little busy and second of all my computer is being weird and not readying my memory card and it seems I have temporarily misplaced the cord.  That being said, if any of you want to come to Colombia and be Camp Gozo’s official photographer /videographer/slideshow maker you will be MORE than welcome. 

I think I have to say this was one of my favorite camps yet.  It was really special and God touched a lot of hearts.  One reason that it was so special was that it was my girls last one and it was nice seeing how they have grown throughout the camps.  From not even wanting to go to the first one to telling me that they know this is their last one has campers but not their last one ever because they are ALWAYS going to come and help.  Seeing them take leadership among their peers and the other campers looking up to them and them being good role models.  I would sometimes just get a little teary seeing them and watching them and so thankful for everything that God has done in their lives and being ever so proud of them.  One of them came up to me on the second to last day and gave me a big hug and told me that see feels different, that she feels close to God than she ever has before.

We had a Colombian couple do the teaching and the girls were really touched and walls were broken down in their lives.  They talked about sexuality and three girls made commitments to changed the way they live and how they relate to boys (if you knew these three girls, this is SOMETHING HUGE for them).  They also talked about relationships with their parents and how a lot of them are even rejected and unwanted from the time they are conceived and how this can affect them.  They were told that even though their parents may not have planned or wanted them, that God their Father planned and wanted them and has GREAT plans for their lives.  On the last day the husband stood up and apologized has a father for all fathers for the hurtful things that he has said or done to cause them harm and hurt, then the wife stood up and apologized as a mother on behalf of mothers.  A few of us staff were standing up at the front, ready to hug them as father (the husband did this part) or as a mother.  Let me tell you how powerful this was.  I kind of knew, or thought I knew how much hurt these little hearts have on behalf of their parents, but let me tell you, these hurts run so incredibly deep and have scarred these precious hearts.  Even some of the staff that have had similar pasts where really touched by this message, the message that they are loved and wanted and that they have value.  One girl, who has come to other camps and you can just tell has a hard heart, from all the lies she has heard and listened to and has taken to heart about who she is, came up and gave me a hug (she was the last one that I thought would ever come up) and I could just feel her heart break in my arms and it almost undid me.  I have no doubt in my mind that her and a lot of other girls left the camp KNOWING AND BELIEVING, even if it’s just a little bit, that they are loved and worthy and valuable and that God sees them and loves them and has plans for their lives.  What a GREAT God we have and serve and I am so thankful that I was able to see and experience His love being poured out over these girls.