What a Wonderful Savior

September 8, 2007

I just returned from a camp for 70 street kids and out-of-school youth made up of 65 from the streets and slums and 5 from our Honest Hands life-skills discipleship ministry. We had 21 support staff and counselors from 4 recruiting churches and ACTION along with 7 "junior staff" men who are Honest Hands grads learning to serve in ministry. Now the kids are in the hands of the churches and our four city-wide projects to provide follow-up which they are determined to do.

The camp was very lively and fruitful. Physically I'm getting older but I'm still young at heart so I was able to keep up the pace. The campers have very rough lives--abuse of all sorts, poverty, drugs, crime, out of school but want to study, directionless and lost--but boy did they respond to the counselors' love, kindness, gentle but firm guidance and the gospel of God's grace through Jesus Christ. Everyone had fun playing sports, making new friends, eating lots a good food, learning new songs and crafts along with our daily chapel sessions, cabin Bible discussions and personal counselling. When we broke camp many kids were sobbing because they didn't want to leave their new friends but perhaps some day we'll have a reunion for them.

One camper, Angelica, a pretty and delightful 17 year old is deaf. She told us she gets beat up regularly by her drunken unemployed father (we saw her bruises) and her mother works as a laundry woman to put food on the table. Angelica along with many campers indicated trusting Christ as Savior and want to experience a new life in Christ. Social workers and workers from her recruiting church will visit her father to try to get him to stop the beatings as well as get her help with her hearing. We'll also to get Angelica in a school for the deaf. Pray for her please.

A real joy for me was having several young men join camp as either junior or regular counselors (Rocky, Rence, Lino, Jerry and others) who once were campers themselves. To watch them work with the campers, participate in the program, hear their contributions at the nightly staff meetings and have personal conversations with them was a special blessing. They're living epistle of God's transforming grace in Jesus Christ and their stories are undeniable.

Alleluia what a Savior we have Who transforms sinners into saints!

Praise His marvelous name.

Jeff