Mid-Camp Update

July 25, 2008

Dear Friends,

I hope you are well and making the most of the summer. Already we’re at the half-way point of our camp here at Project Destiny. Thanks for your prayers and financial support. I have a few updates to tell you about:

1. One of the things I was most concerned about was the numbers of campers vs. the numbers of counselors—young counselors at that! To put it in perspective, there is one senior counselor who is 28, which is my age. The next oldest is 24, then 22, 19, 18, 18, and 17. That makes 7 senior counselors, most under 20 years old, most with very little experience working with middle-schoolers. Praise God, though: While our staff struggles to apply the love of Christ consistently, God has been equipping us so that the 50 campers we have don’t seem so many. It is a challenge, but God is teaching us to work together with the entire staff to cover and help each other.
   
   
2. Sicknesses have come, depleting our numbers, especially during the 3^rd week, when we were missing at least one counselor every day. It was encouraging to see everyone covering for one another, even when some of those covering for others weren’t feeling 100% either. I’m also thankful that our counselors happened to get sick on days when their responsibilities were fewer, making it easier to cover their roles.
   
   
3. I’m more than half way through with all my preaching and teaching for the summer. Over the past few weeks, I’ve preached 6 lessons and prepared 20 devotionals for the staff. I’ve never spent so much time thinking about God’s word and how to apply it to the circumstances of people around me. The Lord has been growing my confidence in this area greatly with each passing day.
   
   
4. The kids are really enjoying camp. With every shared experience, they are opening up more to their counselors and one another. They’ve been bonding over field trips, like a cruise to George’s Island, a visit to Old Sturbridge Village, and massive multi-player action-flex sword melee battles. Many of the new-comers to PD have visited our regular Jr. High English ministry, TWR.

Alright, that’s all I will write for now. I’d love to tell you more, but perhaps I can tell some of it in person. I can’t believe there’s only 2 more weeks of camp until it ends. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been here for ages. Sometimes it feels like it’s been so fast and I’m afraid it will slip by before I really get to appreciate all that God is showing me and giving me the opportunity to do. ..

• Please pray for diligence, energy, and passion for our staff as they approach the final stretch. It is easy to get complacent now that the end is in sight.
• Please pray for me as I give two more sermons. I want to be able to connect the gospel to the lives of the campers. I’ll be preaching on Thursday and next Tuesday.

Thanks!
Steve

Project Destiny 2009 First Week

Hi Friends. I'm back in Project Destiny once again. Today was actually the first day of camp (we're still in it as I write). We've got 48 campers who arrived and learned how to find references in a Bible today, some kids who have never looked into a Bible before, and most of whom have not looked at one within the month (counting by a show of hands). As you may recall, this is my major project during the bulk of the year and especially during the summer.

This is my second year directing the program here in Chinatown, and I'm having a blast. My favorite part of all this is the way God has been bringing our team together over the past 2 weeks of training. They come from all over the place and are from different age groups, but God is molding us into a team that shows the unity of Christ's Body. I've been giving devotionals every day (I'm running out of creativity!) and soon I'll be preaching our evangelistic messages during our chapel times

I'm actually writing to send a quick request out for prayer. Thanks to those of you who asked how I've been. Due to some logistical licensing stuff, I didn't get much sleep last night (the night before camp started) and I'm very tired. Please pray that I'd get rest and also that the Lord would keep me from letting self-serving and grace-less motives take over my interactions with others in my tiredness this week. I love being here, and helping others to be Christ's ambassadors in the city-- pray that I would continue to serve with joy and love.

Thanks!

(picture: the busy street and building at Emerson College on Boyleston St. where I'm living this summer with the PD Counselor Staff)