Tag Archives: Camp

We just finished a great week of camp with the teens from our church!  The theme was Facing the Giants, Who is Your Goliath?  Throughout the week we heard some great preaching on the giants of fear, pride, and public opinion. By the weeks end seven teens trusted the Lord as their Savior and others made decisions about their own personal giants. The devil fought hard to disrupt the week but the Lord still worked in the lives of the young people despite it all.  We made a lot of good memories and Elizabeth and I really enjoyed participating in camp!  At the end of the week I had to face one of my own giants, balut!  I’ve never really liked the boiled fertilized egg but somehow there I was, standing in front of the whole camp holding the crunchy egg.  Two other Americans were next to me examining their own balut.  I tried to eat it in one big bite but that strategy didn’t work…I won’t go into the details but lets just say it was a failed attempt.  I couldn’t get my wife to try one but perhaps she was smart.  We had a lot of fun this week and really enjoyed seeing the Lord work in hearts!  When it was finally time to take the kids home we had another interesting developement; our jeepney broke down!  Having your one and only jeepney give out during camp is a major problem but thankfully some of the other churches let us borrow their vehicles.  As a result I ended up driving for the very first time in the Philippines.  Our journey began in the mountains so traffic wasn’t terrible…until we got into the city.  I think I scared the teens a few times.  Right before we started for home several teens asked me, “You sure you know how to drive Pastor Chris?”.  Praise the Lord, after getting lost and just barely avoiding a couple of motorcycles we made it home safe and sound!  That was an experience all on its own but I think it gave me a little more confidence about driving here in Cebu.

After finally setting up our temporary home in Cebu, Elizabeth and I found ourselves on a plane headed for Manila.  Summer is a very busy time here and we were about to experience our first camp in the Philippines!  Two years ago, we met Pastor Nemual Lesada while we were on our survey trip.  He and his family were very helpful to us during our stay and soon became our friends.  It was also during that time that I visited my mother.  It had been two years since I had last seen her so what a blessing to finally be with her again.  When we visited her in her home it soon became clear to me that she needed to move and find a better place to work.  It just so happened that Pastor Lesada had mentioned to me that they needed a cook for their brand new camp.  Praise the Lord, only He could time things so perfectly!  Now, two years later I was returning to speak at that camp and see my mother in her new home.  Keep in mind that this would also be the first time that my mom would get to see Abigail.  What a truly special moment for us!  I was also blessed to see my mom in such good hands.  The church there in Manila has greatly helped my mom both physically and spiritually.  Elizabeth and I enjoyed spending our first week of camp with them.  I preached twice in Tagalog and the juniors seemed to respond well.  My mind is quickly grasping the language again but I still need a lot of help!  Sixteen children got saved throughout the week and many more made some great decisions.  What an encouragement to see God work in the Philippines.  Elizabeth and I still have two more weeks of camp to go this summer in Cebu so please keep that in your prayers!  The people here may have a completely different culture but they still have the same spiritual, emotional, and physical needs as people in the States.  Only God can change their hearts and show them a better path!

Right after Christmas I went with our church to Baptist Snow Camp!  We’ve enjoyed the mild winter we’ve had so far but if you want to have snow camp, it’s always better when there’s actually snow.  Some of our teens actually packed light clothing in anticipation of a warm two days.   What a surprise when we drove into Sinclairville and found ourselves surrounded by a blanket of white.  Despite the weather elsewhere the Lord has provided snow for the camp 16 out of 17 years!  We brought 30 boys and 20 girls from our church and were excited to see what the Lord would do in their lives.  The preaching was amazing!  Brother Robbie Morrison was the main speaker and brought messages that everyone could benefit from.  Another preacher directed his message to second generation Christians, teenagers who had grown up in church.  Several got saved and many others made great decisions that will continue to impact lives.  I’m glad that I was able to come this year!  I look forward to going again in the future when we come back to visit from Cebu.  God has used camp in my life over and over again and I feel truly blessed!

As the summer slowed down we were asked to be a part of another week of camp.  Our friend, Brother Tom Geer, does a lot with children and teen ministries and invited us to join him in the mountains of Pennsylvania.  After working with him many times I knew I would enjoy helping him again.  The camp was beautiful!  The grounds featured an awesome zipline that flew over a beautiful lake and an outdoor amphitheater.  During the week I was a counselor for a great group of junior campers.  I was able to lead one of the young men in my cabin to the Lord!   What a blessing to give the gospel to a hungry soul!  Several other young people also trusted the Lord as their Savior throughout the week.  All the efforts put into a week of camp are so worth it when a soul comes to Christ! I’m glad that Elizabeth and I were able to be a part of this ministry.