Fifth Week - Grace Haven!

My fifth week of camping has come to an end. It turned out to be one of the most fun weeks I've had. We did different activities from canoeing to sumo wrestling, to mud-pit steal the bacon/wrestling, to capture the flag at night, to playing ultimate Frisbee with an octopus (Yes, it was a REAL octopus). It was indeed, a fun camp. The camp has been around for only about 5 years. It was very rustic. They don't own any property, so they rented property. We didn't have cabins, we had tents. We also had basically a glorified outhouse for bathrooms, and then we set up a shower that was ran by a hose. It was quite interesting going from an air-conditioned cabin, to a cabin without electricity, to tents. I thought it was fun though. It reminded me a lot of Boy Scouts!

Camp started around 2:00 on Monday. It started out with about 8 kids and me in a 8 man tent. Every councilor had that many kids or more. We were really packed in there, so we set up another tent and threw some kids in there (not literally). It was still a tight squeeze, but we all made it through the week.

Every morning we had a staff meeting and devotions where we went into God's Word, and then talked about the campers in our cabin, whether good or bad. It was very refreshing to spend time with the other staff and not with the kids every morning :).

After that, we went straight to breakfast, and then to chapel. The chapel speaker this year for Grace Haven was Gary Miles. He was a great speaker. God truly used him this week to work with the kids. After each chapel, he had an application for the kids, along with something for them to take home so they could remember what he spoke on and to apply what they had learned.

Over the week, we had about 10 kids come to know Christ as their Savior. Many others also made commitments to share Christ with their Mormon friends! Pray that the fire inside them won't go out.

A funny story that happened: while I was sitting a table, there were some rubber-bandy type things sitting there. I asked what they were, and I found out that they were pony tail stuff. One of the girls told me to put some in my hair. My response was, "No, I don't know how to, but you can go ahead and try"....and so they did. About 5 girls came over and "prettied my hair up". It was quite funny. I also was able to carry a plunger around all week. Did you know that if stick a plunger on your stomach, that it can get a nice suction grab and won't come off easily. It was so much fun.

Anyway, I am now at home for a 2 week break. I am spending time right now with my family and my friend, Jesse. It's been an amazing first half of the summer, but I am certainly welcoming the break. I'll be flying back out to Denver next Saturday. I thank you all for your continued prayers!

Praise:

• For the kids who were saved from eternal Hell.
• For the kids who are now wanting to share Christ with their friends
• For a fantastic week at camp!

Prayer:

• That those who were saved at camp, would continue to grow closer to Christ.
• For those who decided to live for Christ. Some want to come to Frontier this coming semester.
• That as I am on my break, I don't lose focus of God.
• Humility (Without God, I can't do anything. The moment I take credit for my works, God loses His)
• Purity
• My ankle (I sprained it a bit playing capture the flag and I still have a slight limp. Pray that it will heal by the time I'm back at camp)

I hope all are well. I look forward to seeing my church family this Sunday and sharing about my experiences. Have a good week!

In Christ,
Adam

Fourth Week - St. George!

This past week has been another amazing week. Although our team was unable to counsel up at Cedar Mountain Retreat, God still used us. He also did a great work up at CMR because of our absence there. God always has a plan, and for that I am forever grateful.

This week, we were able to help a Hope Pregnancy Care Center here in St. George move and set up shelves at a second hand store they are trying to set up. It will be a second source of income and also for the moms to come and purchase baby clothes and accessories more cheaply. If we had not been there, they would have had a hard time finding people to help move all the shelves because a lot of the teens are up at the camp, CMR. So, it was really awesome to be there to help them.

Meanwhile...

Up at CMR, they had to find counselors to replace us because we were not going to be up there. This past week was a high-school group. Unfortunately, they did have very many graduates to help counsel. They instead had to go with other high-schoolers from Keesha's and Rebecca's youth group. They choose those who were most mature spiritually in the youth group. As far as I have heard, the camp was amazing. The counselors took control and it really went well. I was also told by a few people that it will help revive the youth group and help the kids take control and act more like leaders. God had a great plan for the youth group here in St. George.

This past week we were also able to see a lot of God's creation. We went to Zion National Park and a few other amazing places. The landscaping out here is amazing. We went on a long hike down the Virgin River. The hike was called, "The Narrows". You could look up and see rock walls at least 200 feet up, or higher. It truly was amazing. Add in the amazing heat (between 90-100 degrees every day), and a minor league baseball game, it was a great week!

Prayer:

• The campers up at Grace Haven. That their hearts would be prepared for the message of the speaker (Who is Gerry Miles).
• For unity in the team
• A humble attitude. We can't do anything without Him allowing it or without His strength.

Praise:

• That CMR went great!
• For the service projects the team was able to participate in.
• For God's continual provision and unseen plans

I hope everyone is doing well. Please keep in contact! I loved hearing from those who contacted me. It is a great encouragement to hear from ya'll. Take care!

In Him,
Adam