Older Campers praying for counselor

One of our counselors shared a prayer request with her group involving her mom.

The whole group of oldest girls was praying for this staff member's mom... and specifically one of them continued to ask this staff member about her mom several times over the following weeks.

Deep questions from EP campers

One counselor noticed kids at East Peoria regularly asking deep questions.

"How could Adam's sin affect us?"

"What if my mom isn't walking with God?"

Camper using the Bible

A camper at Morton camp received a Bible from us.  He began to bring it with him to everything... even in the midst of dodgeball games.

Each day at Cabin Time at the end of the day he would want to read a passage of scripture out loud to his group.

Naughty but theologically correct

An East Peoria camper, when threatened with a timeout, always responds: "Jesus gives us all a second chance."

Excited about the Bible

While on a field trip I asked a camper how his day was going and if anything exciting had happened.

He responded that on the bus ride to the field trip he got to read from his counselor's Bible.

I followed up with the counselor and he responded that this camper and his friend were so excited to borrow his Bible that they could hardly get in their seats fast enough.  The counselor also noticed other campers joining this first camper in reading the Bible.  

Scripture is exciting!  Pass it on!

We had a staff member that spent the majority of her time at one location.  She openly admitted to not looking forward to visiting another location.  (This could be slightly understandable as she would not know many of the staff or any of the kids.)

But after the week was over she was excited to tell me about specific spiritual conversations she had with two campers.  And she had a good time at the different location as well!

Greater Things Than Me

This was a humbling reminder of John 14:12- I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father.

One Friday I led a devotion during a morning meeting at Pekin camp.  We brainstormed questions and conversation starters to point our conversations with campers toward spiritual things.  One idea from a counselor named Nathan was to point-blank ask: "Have you accepted Christ as your personal savior?" 

That week Nathan had been specifically praying for visible fruit from the summer.  He had also had the previous day of camp off, which gave him more energy and focus on this day.

At the end of the day, I overheard Nathan using that reminder from the meeting to ask a younger camper about his relationship with Jesus.  A longer conversation ensured, and ended with the boy saying that he would like to pray with his mom that evening.

At this point, I was elated and if I had been Nathan, would have commenced with patting myself on the back.  But Nathan made a point to talk to this boys mom, explaining their conversation and the camper's desire to pray with his mom that evening.  Mom was excited and exclaimed "That's why I love this camp."

So here's to staff doing more than I myself would do, but mainly to Jesus working in all of our lives.