Happy First Birthday!

On August 26th, our son David turned 1! On Sunday the 25th we had a small party to celebrate, inviting some of our friends who had young kids. Among the participants were his grandfather (Rebeca's dad) and great grandmother, who traveled from Honduras to spend a week with us to get to know David. Jeremias made a big piñata in the shape of a "1" in honor of the occasion. It was a big "hit" (ha ha ha).

Birthday boy gave a valiant effort

Others thought the game a bit childish

Others had fun trying, but didn't make a dent

Finally the designated hitter was brought in and candy was had for all

We are very grateful for David's presence in our life, his health, his sense of humor, and his explorer's nature. We look forward to seeing him grow up!

Nicaragua Trip

The last week in August we were privileged to be able to visit Nicaragua. Rebeca was part of the leadership team putting on the YL Central America Area Director's Retreat at Young Life's La Finca camp. I used frequent flyer miles to go along and visit with our dear friends Joey and Sara Espinoza, who were previously with us at Pico Escondido, and are now at La Finca. Since I have been asked often to lend my camping experience to the Central America region, it was also great to see many of the people I have worked with and also get to visit La Finca for the first time. It was a wonderful trip.

 

After a very busy summer, I needed a break, and while keeping up with a toddler 27/7 is not necessarily physically relaxing, the change of pace from running a camp was a great mental break. Joey and I were also able to escape a couple of times to go on mountain bike rides through the beautiful mountainous terrain of northern Nicaragua. This is coffee country, and the huge trees shading the coffee plants and the abundant rainfall make for a beautiful ride. Joey and Sara became very close friends of ours here in the Dominican Republic. It was sad to see them leave last year, but great to know they would continue helping Young Life camps in Latin America progress. Joey is project manager for the next phase of development at La Finca. 

Joey, Risa, Micah, and Jace Espinoza with Rebeca and David

La Finca sits at about 4000 feet of elevation, which was a nice cool break from the Dominican Republic. David loved exploring camp and taking long naps in the cool mountain air.

Enjoying the cool of La Finca

So while it looks like we just found a tiny body, David was rather enjoying napping in the grass.

Thank you, Joey and Sara, Harold Amador, and the rest of the Vida Joven Nicaragua team who made us feel so welcome. We look forward to our next visit.

A Sucessful Summer

The summer of 2013 was a really good one for us. We had a total of 565 kids and leaders attend camp, which was only seven people less than our biggest summer ever, and this was despite the resignation of a key field staff member in the Spring and a tropical storm threatening the island the day before the first camp. The field staff and volunteers did a great job getting the "right" kids to camp. Our vision is to present the gospel to teenagers who aren't hearing it elsewhere and then to help them grow in their faith. Many of these kids this summer had tough backgrounds: alcohol, drugs, crime, gangs, abuse, etc. It made for some drama at times - fights, theft, and conflict. But at the same time, these kids are often looking for a way out of this downward spiral. At the end of each camp, we offer workshops for the kids who are interested. One of these workshops is for new believers - ones who have never before made a commitment to Christ. Over the 5 weeks of camp, 169 kids attended this workshop. Others who had at some point become Christians but had fallen away made re-commitments. Others undoubtedly decided to follow Jesus after leaving camp. Below is a slideshow of pictures of kids who attended new believers' workshops. This is why I do this. Thanks to all who give camp scholarships or financially support those of us who depend on donations to be able to do this work. It is worth it!

A Tough Crowd

One of the key elements of Young Life outreach camps is club. Club is a lot of fun. The program team does a great job preparing skits, games and music that are very entertaining, but also draw the attention of the kids and help prepare the mood for the speaker. Over the course of a camp, the Gospel is shared through these talks.

This summer our camp speaker at Pico Escondido has been Rafa Alejo, who is the Vida Joven national director and a gifted speaker. Yet even for great speakers there are tough crowds. Last night was the first club of camp 5. A group of kids made it hard on Rafa, making noises during his talk and getting up out of their seats to leave club. That is hard for any speaker. It distracts you, makes connecting with the crowd difficult. It had that effect on Rafa. Yet after every club there is a cabin time, in which the kids get together with their leaders to discuss what the speaker talked about. Leaders reported that cabin times were great. Kids participated well, and in general got the message and were thinking about Rafa's talk.

Rafa and I met this morning and reflected on this. It is another of many examples of this theme: we can (and should) do all we can to put on excellent camps in every way. In the end, God often surprises us in the things he uses to impact the life of a teenager. He can use a club talk in spite of distractions. He can use the friendship of a volunteer leader. We have even heard several kids this summer say they were impacted by the fireflies or the stars. Pray with us that God would draw Dominican teenagers toward him this weekend and that we would once more be wowed by how many choose to follow Him.

Start of Outreach Camp 5

Outreach Camp 5 just began a few minutes ago. In the first four camps we have seen God do great things. Below are a few quick glimpses of what happened.

Roberto Martinez, area director of La Vega, shared the following: One of the kids who came to camp 2 from his area was an alcoholic, drug user, and thief. He made a commitment to Christ during that camp. Leaving that life behind is not easy, but he has been taking concrete steps toward a better life under the guidance of Vida Joven staff and volunteers in his area.

There was a 22-yr-old that wanted to attend camp from Santo Domingo last week. He had a bad reputation that came from years spent wandering the streets. He needed this. But his boss  wouldn’t give him time off from work. The morning the bus was leaving, he showed up all sweaty from running to where they were leaving from, with the news that he had gotten time off from work and could go. He met Christ at camp, and can't wait to share what he has learned with all the kids in his neighborhood.

 

As camp speaker, Rafa was praying all last week that God would use him, and that God would increase his faith that kids were being impacted. Part of his responsibility is leading the workshop on the last day of camp for those who still have doubts or do not believe. Out of 113 kids & leaders, only 12 kids came to that workshop! 
 
God has been doing big things at Pico Escondido.

Fifteen Minutes with God

If you were given the chance to spend fifteen minutes with anybody in the world, who would it be? The president? Your wife? Michael Jordan? Nelson Mandela? The Pope? What would you say? Would you be nervous? Shy? Angry?

One of my favorite parts of the outreach camp schedule will take place in less than two hours from now. It is the fifteen minutes with God. Kids will be invited to sit in a one-on-one encounter with the maker of the universe. I often fail to recognize the wonder of that. Repetition does that to us. Let's pray that there would be powerful encounters tonight between kids and the Lord. Club should start at 9:00 and the Fifteen Minutes about 10:15. Following that, the leaders will round up their kids and have Cabin Time, in which they can talk about what they are experiencing.

Thanks for your prayers. This same thing will happen with a new group next Saturday night and one more time the Saturday after that. Keep praying. I look forward to giving you good news.

Kids arrive for Camp 3, 2013

It's day one of camp 3 in the summer of 2013. Kids have been arriving to camp for the past hour. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation in the air - as there should be. For most, this will be the best four days they have ever had. Below are some quick videos showing what their arrival to camp looks like.

Getting off the bus

The work crew welcomes them

They are so excited, they can hardly stand it!