A bunch of us spent last week up in Big Bear at camp, and what a week it was! Bro. David Cabal, the youth pastor of the other church that came with us, said many times, “Man, EVERYONE needs to go to camp! This is so powerful. We ALL need a week away from our phones to spend time with Christians around God’s Word!”
His words pretty much sum it up. God’s Word worked mightily in everyone who attended—not just the teens—and I wish everyone could attend.
I mean… you’ll have to work, but the benefits are rewarding.
And work they did. The Saldanas and Románs put in lots of hours and lots of dollars to prepare for camp this year, all FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL, which was our camp theme from 1 Cor. 9:23.
Hosting our own camp from scratch was a bear, but the team handled it with grace. Several Rooted Class members worked the sound, played piano and guitar, counseled the campers, drove the preacher, dealt with bloody noses and dehydrated campers, and kept the spirit of the camp positive. I was proud to see their efforts, and it made us more appreciative of Ironwood camp counselors doing all that and more in the desert heat!
The week was a blessing, and, church, thank you for praying.
Seriously.
I was getting texts from people that were PRAYING, and what we needed was PRAYER. We needed you to be holding the ropes for us while we were there.
This is spiritual work, and if you can’t get out there and play dodgeball with teens anymore, the next best thing is to pray. So thank you.
God worked. I wish I could tell you everything, but you’ll get to hear about it tonight at the 5:30 service, but mostly you’ll get to see it play out for years to come. God changed my life at summer camp, and many of our faithful church members can say the same. What a powerful tool and a glory to God. -Pastor Ryan