Colombia

Another camp down and under are belts. We only had 19 boys, a smaller group then what we would of liked (their moms have a hard time letting them go), but they were really sweet and well behaved and cute and loveable and there were sure lots of staff there to love on them. It was a real blessing having the team there a missions team from Mexico and the States) and lots of extra staff cause I had a really bad cold, which resulted in very little energy and having to take a nap while the kids were in the pool.  The team was awesome and so willing to help out in whatever needed to be done and would just see things that needed to be done and do it.  A lot of them loved the camp ministry that we are doing and want to come back. As with the girls camp I sometimes struggle with the two day camp and wether it’s worth all the work and stress but it so it.  One of the girls on the team shared how touched she was during the game Mission Impossible and how the kids are going to...

So here we go again….in just over two weeks we have another round of camp.  This one is for boys 8-10 and it is just another two day one.  But as I learned from the little girls camp, that two days are still worth all the work and God can still do amazing things in just these two days and I am pretty excited, even though in the past this group has proven to be the most challenging for me.  Also for this camp there is a team of 9 people coming from the States to help out.  While it might add a bit of craziness and I don’t think they speak Spanish but they could be future staff or future supporters and I just love sharing with other people this crazy dream of Camp Gozo and the crazy plans that God has for it.  So I will welcome the craziness and let’s be honest, thats 9 more people to hug and love these kids so the craziness is worth it. Things for this camp are falling together nicely.  For the boys camps this year I have had a co-director which I have ...

It funny how camp usually brings about a of mix emotions… this one was an extremely good week but also a really hard, draining week at the same time… First of all one of the teen girls that I have been discipling for the past four years was headed off to Mexico on the 28th for her missions school, the first day of camp.  I was unable to see her off because, well because it was the first day of camp, but a friend and a co-worker who has known her for YEARS, saw her off for me.  They called me from the airport, we said our good bye’s and off she went.  I get a call the next day from same friend…. expecting to hear that she got there safely but only to be told that they wouldn’t let her into Mexico and she was on her way back, she couldn’t prove that she had enough money to stay there until November when her school would end.  I was worried about her and how she would be feeling.  She called me when she got back to Bogota and she was completely at peace, a lit...

I always think that it’s good that I wait a few days before I blog about camp because if I were to blog right after it, it wouldn’t of been very positive.  And being honest I would say that it was probably the hardest one that we have had. I was exhausted and tired and stressed before this camp even started.  There were a bunch of things that happened with bank cards and having to cancel a camp and move it to  later date and just a few other things, so to say the least I didn’t have a lot of patience which is just what this group needed. There were 29 of them and there were a lot of little gangsters, like for real.  We had problems with them stealing mangoes and chips and some pool toys.  We did bag searches and took away pool time and the last day when we couldn’t find these pool toys I had that we also used for a team building game I said to my friend “I feel defeated and I just can’t anymore” That’s how I felt leaving the camp and I said to tha...

So just a few more days to go…..so that means my life is a little bit more crazy, a little bit more stressful and way more exciting… I thought I would do just a quick update before I head out on Sunday…. I forgot to put this in my last Blog but the space we rent now has room to add one more cabin, that means  5 more kids, which is so exciting to me, I hate telling kids that we are full and have no more space.  Well we still have to turn some away at least it is five less no’s in every camp. We also have all the staff we need and I’m having to turn staff away because we are FULL, FULL, FULL And all the finances came in, PRAISE GOD, so thank you soooo much for all your support.  Every year I think I got this faith thing all under control in regards to the finances… but it’s not quiet under control yet as I still have little freak outs, maybe one day I won’t freak out. Also a little bit of sadder news, well it might not be that sad but when I was plannin...

So round one of Camp Gozo was awesome.  We had 24 beautiful girls.  And they were soo loveable.  They were cute and sweet and they were bombarded with hugs, which they received so openly.  Our director of our ministry here in Colombia was at the bus to pick up a girl and he told me that when they got back the girls were bouncing with joy and could not stop talking about camp and that he got so many hugs from the girls that went.  So our prayers about feeling the joy and love of their Father were answered 10 fold.  They were beaming with it.  Also a good friend of mine in Canada made salvation plan book marks and we split up in smaller groups to go over these book marks and this was a huge success with all 24 girls making a commitment to Christ….So it was two shot days of camp, but it was two days filled with love and joy and laughter and lots and lots of hugs. So now we just have 20 days until we get into round 2,3,and 4.  This is where my li...

So only a few more days until camp number one starts and well we are mostly ready to go.  All the girls are signed up and permission forms are in and 25 girls are ready to go.  We had to turn so many away.  It's a little heart breaking looking into their eyes and telling them that camp is all full.... I just want to take them all but I don't want to lose that small, intimate, family like atmosphere...so what does one do... I still don't know. As I was thinking and praying about this camp I was kind of like well really what is going to change in these girls lives in just two days, really just one and a half and cause they are just so little as well.  But then I remembered the vision of camp, where children can feel the love and joy of their Father...So I just pray that in this day and a half the God just pours out His love on these little girls and they go away knowing how loved they are by their Father.... my friend gave me this verse for the camp as well.... Kee...