Camps in Peru

Hungry kids, lonely teens, pastor's kids, gang members, neglected children, seminary students, rape victims, homosexuals, girls who have had abortions, church kids, abuse victims, pregnant girls, children from single parent homes, spiritually mature young adults, prostitutes, alcoholics, drug addicts, Sunday school teachers, teen mothers, .........just some of the precious souls we see each summer at church camp in Peru. Some of their stories would make you weep of shock and sadness. Some of their stories would make you weep with joy.

Brent started going to camp as an infant, sleeping next to him mom in the girls' dorms and being passed around from person to person who wanted to hold the chubby white baby. He grew up going to camp every summer with his parents and eventually as a camper. He worked in a summer camp in CA during college, took youth groups to camp in the US and has been either director, camp speaker or both every summer that we have been in Peru for the last 10 years. To understate it, he loves camp.

My first camp was at the age of 9, at the church gymnasium. Every summer after that until I graduated from high school, I went to summer camp. After I married Brent, we went to camp every summer with the youth group we were working with. Since being in Peru, I have gone to camp pregnant twice, twice with an infant and always with all of my kids. I learned quickly that this was a huge part of my husband's life and saw firsthand what an opportunity to see God at work it was. Now I wouldn't miss it for anything.

The spiritual battle at camp is almost tangible at times. I believe many young people are able to hear God's voice more clearly when they are removed from their daily environment and placed into one where they are bombarded with love, God's Word and surrounded by people who intensely want to see lives changed.

My own life was changed at camp as a teenager. Brent's life was changed at camp as a teenager. We have seen hundreds of lives changed at camp. It is a worthy ministry and we hope one that will grow by leaps and bounds in Peru.

The next few blogs will be about camp in Peru ~ there's too much good stuff to put it all in one!

Miriam