Day Camp

This week we are having day camp in Lake Andes. It has been a lot of fun to get to see so many kids from here again. Monday night Yam and Steven asked to come to praise and worship, and of course I said yes! By the time I picked them up, our group had grown to 11 people (including my family, AK, and me.) When I dropped them off, they asked if they could come again, and of course I said yes...how can you tell a kid they can't come to church? So, last night I headed back to housing to load up the kids and head back. When I got to the first house, Steven hopped in the van and said "Mandy, I didn't go to my baseball game because I chose Jesus over baseball." It made me want to cry! He also brought two friends with him. We tracked down a parent and got permission for them to come, and by that time, I had a whole group of kids wanting to come. Unfortunately, I couldn't find parents to give permission, so I left with a group of 10 and headed back to Platte. The service was very good, talking about letting God have and use the pain in your life, and it was such a blessing to watch the kids worshiping together. After the service they got spoiled by Kenny (big surprise!) with some ice-cream before we headed to the gym to hang out just a little bit longer. On our way back from the gym, I asked them what their favorite part was, and what they had learned. Trin gave me an entire summary of the message, and some of the kids told me that they liked certain songs about how big God is. As we were talking, Cam said "I like going to Platte. When I grow up, I want to be a Christian like them!" This of course was followed by a conversation that you don't have to grow up to be a Christian like them, that God wants you to be a Christian now. What an amazing night of watching God work in the hearts of these kids! Can't wait to see what He has in store for today!