Camp Update 2

Below is our first supporter update that will go out sometime this weekend--a sneak preview for you:

Dear Friends and Family,

We are excited to send out our first personal summer update. First of all, thank you so much for your generosity. We we were overwhelmed as we saw God provide all of the financial support that we needed and we appreciate your prayers for us each week.

This summer is different from past summers in several ways. Of course having Benton along is a joy, and we love every minute. We always loved the kids at camps where we worked during high school and college and looked forward to having our own “camp kids” at some point should the Lord have chosen that, and we are so thankful that He did. Working with two new families has been a blessing. We are so thankful for the team the Lord has brought together and appreciate so much all that Brian Olsen and Andy Dalporto add to what is going on here. When we arrived the week before our staff came in on June 1st it was obvious there was a lot to do before we would be ready for camp, and while it was overwhelming, God was gracious and allowed it to come together. Staff training week was very busy and although we were physically spent, we came away spiritually recharged and refreshed.

This first week of camp went really well. We had churches from Colorado and the Phoenix area. It was a blessing for us to spend time with the sponsors from the different churches. We had a large group of kids from a Hispanic church in Phoenix and a large group from a church in Denver, and it was neat to see the teens mix and mingle. Morris Gleiser was our speaker and really connected. Many teens made decisions, and from follow up that Matt was involved in, it really was exciting to see the teens making solid decisions, not just surface issues being dealt with. Please continue to pray as the youth workers follow-up.

Because we have to travel some distance to church on Sunday, we have an evening service at camp for the staff. We are enjoying the staff--most of them are Sophomores and Juniors in college, so it is a younger group than what we have had the past two summers, but they exhibit a lot of maturity.  Thank you for your prayers for safety. Matt has been busy coordinating all the efforts to make things happen. Rachael has spent a lot of time in the Dining Hall helping train the hostess and work with the two waitresses. It has been a challenge feeding people in 2 shifts, but things have been going well.

We finish tomorrow our second week with Mike Manor and are looking forward to Junior camp next week. Thanks for keeping in touch!!