Final Days of Camp

I am writing this as Pastor Chuck teaches on the topic of Trust to the entire camp in our evening service. We are sitting outdoors on a covered patio with a cool breeze occasionally blowing in to keep us cool. The kids are worn out from a treasure hunt around town earlier this afternoon, but their attention is still focused on his every word as he challenges them to respond to God's love with obedience.

Tomorrow will be the last full day of camp and we will pack up and leave Sunday morning after breakfast for a seven hour drive back across Bulgaria to Sofia. Our team is fully aware that our time is short and we are making the most of every moment with the kids and the adult leaders from Sofia. We recognize that the relationships we are building here will enable us to continue in ministry even after we are gone, thanks to the Internet.
Most of these kids have Skype, Facebook, e-mail, and cell phones and it is a great joy to know that we have built friendships this week that will endure beyond the camp. Many of us know we will return and look forward to seeing our family here again, but even when we are home in the U.S., we will be in touch and remain a part of their lives. I have expressed over and over to the people here that Bulgaria is not a two week ministry for us, but a year-long opportunity to serve.

Yesterday, Megan, Mayla, and Zach all had the opportunity to teach about Jesus calming the storms in our lives. Joey wrapped up with a message in the evening service on trusting God enough to lay aside the things that separated us from Him. It was exciting to watch the kids respond to the translated message and even more exciting to watch our teens step out in faith and share from the word of God! We also played some great team-building games with the camp and joined them today for a treasure hunt that took us all over Chernomoretz before ending up on the beach, where we found and dug up a treasure trove of chocolate.

Please continue to keep the team in prayer. While you are at it, pray for a couple here at the camp. Ivon and Maya are a married couple from the Blaga Vest church in Sofia who came here with us on Sunday. Monday, they found out that Maya's father had passed away and they had to return to Sofia. They came back to the camp yesterday and, while they are fully engaged in the ministry here, Maya's heart is still heavy with the loss of her father. Please pray for God's peace and comfort for them.
I also want to take a moment to express my appreciation for the people who have supported this ministry. The ten of us are here because of the investment of many. We thank you for believing in what we are doing and, more importantly, what God is doing. God bless you!


P.S.-  There are many more pictures on my Photobucket account!