Camp Season, Part 4: What Now?

No matter how great the relationships are during the week we are together at camp, no matter how moved people were by what they learned, camps in themselves are not enough. Follow-up is a significant part of our camp ministries.

Some of that follow-up, especially for the short-term teams, comes in the form of e-mail, Facebook, and other online interaction. (By the way, this last camp inspired me to get on Facebook...a new era has dawned!) But most is personal...face time. So right off the bat, we made sure the students had some post-camp get-togethers to look forward to. We invited them all to church the Sunday after camp ended, to be followed by lunch out and sightseeing. Almost 20 campers showed up for church, and once again got to hear the Gospel clearly taught. Then we were off to downtown Prague for the day.

The next day, another 20 or so went to Karlstejn Castle--one of Czech's most famous and important castles. Things on this trip didn't work out quite as expected, and yet relationships continued to blossom.

Now follow-up begins in earnest! Tomorrow will be the first meeting for the fall of the English Club at Rajska Zahrada. The program is developed around a Christian-themed television program for youth called Exit 316. Each week, we cover a different topic through games, songs, and discussion. At the end of last spring, some significant things were happening with some students. Camp continued that work. Now, what opportunities are ahead! Please pray for this English Club--for students to be excited about coming and about bringing their friends, for the messages of the program to take root and bear eternal fruit in the lives of these young people, and for more Christian adults to come to help.

In addition, please pray for me and the other adults at the club to be sensitive to the needs of these kids and to know how to reach out to them beyond club time. I have a great desire to start a girls Bible study to continue the conversations I had with several of the girls in my classes at camp. Would you please join me in praying for this and other opportunities to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of the young people God brings into my path?