Back from Germany Camps!

Even though we are now in the Czech Republic, we still have the privilege of doing camps in Germany!

Our first camp was an English camp with our church in Leipzig. There were 19 campers and we had a bit of a rocky start, as some of the older boys weren't really sure if they wanted to be there. We ended up having some good talks individually with each of them and they each responded well. We also had 3 Ukrainian kids. By the end of camp 2 kids accepted Jesus and a couple of others want to get baptized. God certainly changed what we thought at the first of the week would be a disaster, into a camp where He truly worked in the lives of the kids. 

The group on our hike day

Doing the Mexican Hat Dance at Mexican Fiesta Night

We ended up changing the second camp into a Discipleship Camp just a couple of weeks before it started. (the campers were 19 - 29 years old) This was pretty stressful, as we made the final decision only 2 or 3 days before we left for the first camp, so had very little time to figure out what to make as the theme. It ended up being an incredible time, as we went through the Psalms with one of Dave Patty's teachings called Burden to Blessing. We did the talks ourselves (you could watch Dave's original ones here if you want), then had small-group discussions in the evening after the talks, an hour every morning for personal journaling time with questions on the talk, then getting back into small-groups to talk about their times with God. It was soooo good! Even the unbelievers enjoyed and got a lot out of each part of the program. We also had afternoon sports, as well as late-night party-type activities. Emily did all of the PowerPoints and graphics for the camp book/journals from Bangladesh! We couldn't have done it without her! 

One of the young men got baptized in the lake. We also had some young adults that have attended our English camps for 4-5 years and have never made a decision. One of them said she now believes in God! After we decided to make it a discipleship camp, some of the young adults go so excited, they invited their non-believing friends! It was a very sweet time! Almost all of the young people seemed to make movement toward God! 

Welcoming everyone the first night with a Rain Gutter Banana Split!!!

Who gets food like this at camp? The Kitchen staff out-did themselves for banquet night!

We're pretty exhausted now and trying to unpack all the camp supplies, but feel so blessed to still be part of what God is doing in Germany!