CAMP!!!

The Italian Christian summer camp was once again an incredible experience!! I returned home so full of joy and wish I could adequately communicate all that transpired... God was powerfully at work in our little nook up in the Apennine mountains.

The first week we had 71 little ones (ages 6-13), and our theme was the Fruit of the Spirit. I co-taught the youngest Bible class (twenty vivacious six-to-nine-year-olds, pictured below) and helped with the art class and sports. Last year there were forty-five campers each week, so this substantial increase of precious children also made everything even crazier than usual :)




The second week we had 23 teenagers, all but one of whom I already knew. It was a much more tranquil and intimate week as we focused on "Facing Your Giants," using the story of David and Goliath and Max Lucado's book of that name. I was in the Bible class with the 14-and-15-year-olds (pictured below) and co-taught the English class, which consisted of pictionary, charades, the "take a hike" game, and listening to English music to decipher the lyrics. For the Friday night end-of-camp showcase, our English class sang "The Battle Belongs to the Lord."

As we focused on identifying and combating our personal giants, we had a tangible reference point, a life-size replica of Goliath that some of the men had constructed! We wrote our giants on slips of paper and put them in a box, which, along with Goliath, was burned on the last night. Below is the English class with Goliath.

We had such a great staff of counselors and cooks for both sessions! Emily, an Avanti worker at the Florence Bible School (pictured with me below) was a counselor with me for both weeks, and working with her was so much fun! To read more about camp (as well as her work in Florence), I suggest you visit her blog: http://dafavola.blogspot.com/

The absolute highlight of camp was that two boys, from Taranto and Vicenza, decided to be baptized on Friday!! They both have amazing stories, which I will share in part. The one from Taranto (down south in the arch of the boot) comes from a Christian family but had fallen in with the wrong crowd, so to speak; due to past behavior problems, he was almost not allowed to come to camp this year. Before his baptism, he admitted (it sounds better in Italian), "I came to camp intending to wreak havoc, but instead God wrought havoc on me." The guy from Vicenza is from a non-Christian family but had been to camp a few times with a friend; last year he was selected as the Best Camper. Before his baptism, he prayed, "You know I've never had a father; now I'm choosing You to be my Father." In the absence of a typical baptistery, a giant freezer was filled with water, and we all gathered around to witness these two new births. Please pray for both of these new brothers in Christ, especially as they have now returned from camp to the regular world and do not want to revert back to their old lives. Pray also that I and others will know how to encourage and support them.

rejoicing with our two new brothers in Christ!!

(on the left in the bright blue and orange shirts)

On facebook I have uploaded lots more pictures of camp, as well as a ten-minute film created by a group of teens re-enacting the story of David and Goliath. "Tu ci credi ai giganti???" is particularly hilarious if you understand Italian, but I would recommend it to all who would like a glimpse of the campers and the camp's location. It was truly a special group of people in a special place, and we are grateful for all the unforgettable moments! God is good.