Joy received

So once again I let to many days past since the teen girls camp, this time I have a little bit of an excuse, I had a friend from Switzerland visiting so I was busy running around with her…

I think I need to start this blog off with being honest.  As some of you know from my last blog posts and a couple of emails, I have been tired and exhausted and the only reason I was looking forward to this camp was to get it over with cause that only meant one more camp and then that would meant in just over a month and I would be back in Canada and then in just over a month after that in New Zealand.  I was tired, better yet, I was exhausted and ready for a break.  I was getting frustrated with little things and just wanted to pack my bags and say “peace out Colombia, see you in 2018.  That was honestly my thoughts before going into this camp.  But as I was praying for this camp and these girls, I was praying that God would shower His love and Joy on them, just like He did at every other camp.  As I was praying this God asked me “but where is your joy?”  You see I let all the stuff and worries and frustration and exhaustion steal my joy and my passion for camp.  I was about to go into this camp lifeless and that was the last thing God wanted.  It’s funny how when we pray things for others He often shows us that we need that exact same thing.  So all that being said and confessed, my joy and passion were renewed just in time for camp.

We were blessed to have my friend from Switzerland at this camp as well as a family of five from her church in Switzerland come help out.  Their beautiful blond children, who the girls loved, were a joy in themselves to have at camp.  Also they have a pretty sweet camera and took amazing pictures for this camp.  Also every night we showed the girls pictures of the day and they loved it.

This was another group of hard hearted girls that got off that bus, and my first introduction to them was some of the girls saying that other girls are giving them dirty looks and that if there were in the same cabin they would fight them and that they didn’t want anything to do with them.  The first day they were separated into their neighbourhoods, arms crossed and forced smiles on their faces.  But God always being faithful, started to work on their little hearts, and has the guy from Switzerland said, it’s so amazing to see the difference on their faces from when they got to camp and when they left.  It was that much of a difference in just four days of receiving love and joy and endless hugs.  It was amazing to see what the love and joy of our Father can do to even just the hardest hearts.

We had girls wanting to change and make comments to stay pure and not just to sleep with any guy that tells them they are pretty.  

One girl said that she knew that Jesus died for her sins, but that He actually loved her and was interested in having a relationship with her she never imagined that.

And that instead of seeing a God as someone bad who takes way the ones they love most (a lot of them have family members that have been killed, just a part of their reality) that they see Him as a relational God that loves them.

As I mentioned it was so amazing to see the work that God did in just four days.

But I urge to keep praying for all these kids that come to camp because they go back to a reality of darkness.  They go back to a reality where they are told they are not worthy or loved and they have everything going against them.  The love and joy and light they experience at camp can be so easily snuffed out.  And even though they have a desire to serve and love the Lord, it’s such a struggle for them.

On the last night we shared the dreams that we have and there were a couple girls that wanted to be missionaries and girls that wanted to help those in need in Colombia and be police officers that aren’t corrupt.  Just like God gave me this dream go Camp Gozo, He is putting beautiful hopes and dreams in these girls hearts.  They want to be world changers… let’s pray that those hopes and dreams will come to pass in their lives.


We do have one more camp left and need about $2000 more dollars, so that is just 20 people sponsoring a kid for $100.  If you want to sponsor one of these kids please go to  msccanada.org and search for camp Gozo.


Thanks again for all your support and prayers and I hope that the pictures that I post will portray the joy in these girls.

 Group Sit that didn't really work out.... but it was fun

 Love those beautiful smiles

 Swiss kids are hard core... the little blond one is only five but held her own

 Team Work

 One of the girls that wanted to be a missionary

Camp fire and marsh mellow roasting

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