This year for camp we went to Fir Point Bible Camp in Glendale, Oregon and joined in with their Jr. High Camp. We had a whole lot of fun. There were 140 kids total and 9 of them were from Phoenix Campus Life. Below are the highlights of our week at camp:

We ran and played and woke up sore every morning (at least I did, I bet the kids were fine!).

The people who run the camp kept us busy. From capture the flag in over an acre of open fields to hiking up a mountain and building our own shelters. There was always something going on. I woke up every morning fairly certain that I couldn’t get out of bet because all my muscles were sore. With God’s help I made it through each day. Some of the kids played paintball and came home on Friday with some massive welts. I hope their parents forgive me for those. To sum up the week, every day brought something new and exciting and one of those exciting things was our own Dusty Ratcliff of Gold Hill Campus Life delivering the Gospel brilliantly through out.

One boy received Christ .

God promises that His word will not return void so when Dusty faithfully teaches the Gospel God uses it to change the lives of those who he is calling. One of those was a young man in my cabin who is a regular at our Campus Life clubs. On Wednesday night he couldn’t sleep at all. Someone had mentioned hell and he just couldn’t shake the possibility of ending up there. Thursday was a hard day but full of expectation. At the evening meeting after an invitation to accept Christ was given, he came up to me crying and asked if I would pray for him. We prayed together and Jesus forgave his sins that night setting him free from the fear of hell. It didn’t stop there though. There was also a new sense of confidence and joy given to him in the middle of all of this. What an exciting moment! I love when I get to be a part of a moment like that.

Two of the older girls really dug in to Jesus and what he was doing in their lives.

We’ve talked and prayed about each persons desperate need for God to reveal himself individually to each of us. That is exactly what happened for a couple of girls who came to camp last week. They were already Christians. They were as close to student leaders as my clubs have ever had. But they needed a touch from God. And they got it. Camp had 3 hour-long talk times every day, which is a lot for a Jr. high kid, but these two were eating them up. They were happy to hear what God was saying to them. At the end of the week they stood up and stood up and rededicated their lives to Christ. I can’t to see what God does in them as we begin the next school year.

A few of the younger kids got their first real taste of it could mean to take Jesus seriously as a part of their lives.

There were three kids who came whose only experience of Christianity was at Campus Life. So, for them, camp was an experience of immersion into a whole new culture. A different way of thinking and a different way of being. This got them thinking. They started to ask questions. The sort of questions I rarely got in our 10 minute talk times at club. They saw examples of a Christ-centered life lived out over the course of a whole week. They saw that life could be different for them. None of them came to Jesus that week but all of them heard Him call and wanted to know more. All of them took a step forward in a long procession of steps that ends when Jesus calls us home.

So, that’s camp in a very brief nutshell. I heard from God too but we can talk about that later. God is faithful. God answers our prayers. He is always good in our direction. Thank you to those of you who prayed. Thank you to those of you helped kids get there financially. We were blessed and we ask that God would bless you in return.

Isaiah & The campus life camp kids

(Pictures will be up soon)

This end of the school year brings summer and with summer comes camps and with camps comes with an opportunity. A chance to see life through a different lens, to escape your usual way of doing things and perhaps find something new.

Last year, while sitting over a warm campfire a girl stood up and exclaimed, “I get it!”. She heard God! What she “got” was that He had a different, fuller life for her and after a long night of discussion with a volunteer she accepted Christ and began that new life.

So here we are a year later. A schedule full of camps to plan, money to raise for kids who just can’t afford to go and finding volunteers who are willing give up their weekend. It’s a lot of work but all I can think about is the next kid who’s going to hear God speak and excitedly say, “I get it!”

    Our upcoming South Umpqua Camping Trip is geared around these core principles of getting away from our usual envirment and a

Last year, while sitting over a warm campfire a girl stood up and exclaimed, “I get it!”. She heard God! What she “got” was that He had a different, fuller life for her and after a long night of discussion with a volunteer she accepted Christ and began that new life.

So here we are a year later. A schedule full of camps to plan, money to raise for kids who just can’t afford to go and finding volunteers who are willing give up their weekend. It’s a lot of work but all I can think about is the next kid who’s going to hear God speak and excitedly say, “I get it!”

Campus Life in Phoenix had a great year. The program established itself as a positive force in the community. 60+ kids every week saw the gospel in action through the volunteers who sacrificed their time to come out and be a part of the kids’ lives. We hope and pray for another solid year of positive impact in the phoenix community next year.

South Umpqua Camping Trip

We do these little three day camping trips with just a few students per adult. The goal is to really get to know the kids who come. The stories that someone will tell around a campfire are far different from those you hear when kids are in their regular life. This year was no exception. I brought three kids and I thought I knew all of them but came away with a better understanding of who they are. They get to know me better as well. Hopefully they see a person whose actions are reflecting a hope in Christ and a dedication to Him.

Fir Point Bible Camp

Up next is our week long Jr. High Camp. It should be a lot of fun. The speaker is our Gold Hill director Dusty Ratcliffe. Dusty has always impressed me as a thoughtful, caring person. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say. I am sure the kids (and myself) will hear from God through Dusty.

There are nine kids in my area going. That was made possible in a large part by Protector’s Insurance who helped with scholarships for kids who just had no other way coming up with the camp costs. I big thank you to them.

Pray for our kids while they are at camp. This is often an opportunity for them to really hear God for the first time or to respond to Him in a deeper way than they had before.

Summer Youth Center Work

We are busy bees this summer. There is painting to do. There are small remodel jobs to do. Organizing, cleaning, lawn care and so on. This has been a great summer. The youth center gets improvements every day. Here are some pictures of what we’ve been up to.

Isaiah