Overwhelmed by God's goodness!

I am moving to Michigan next week for summer camp! To help you feel the excitement I made a summer camp slide show!!!

So many things have happened over the past few weeks that I am officially behind in telling you about it. I will try to be concise .....

2 weekends ago we had Purity Retreat at camp. Campers must have an adult chaperone to come to the weekend. Kids between the ages of 10 and 19, parents, grandparents, uncles and mentors came - this year we hosted 90 participants and had 3 levels of curriculum.

The purpose of the weekend is to teach kids the biblical perspective on relationships and sex. We unashamedly teach abstinence as God's desire for the life of anyone unmarried.

The adults who come as mentors attend sessions with the kids. It is our prayer that the weekend extends in the lives of kids (and adults) as they make decisions - and that it gives parents a platform to speak with their child about sex.

One adult who attended said, "I wish someone had told me this years ago. I need to make changes. I plan to keep my purity ring on and return to my church to repent."

The weekend includes a couple of great activities .... but Glow-In-The-Dark-Volleyball was my favorite. All the kids got glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. And then we put glow bracelets on the nets and inside clear beach balls..... Mom - you could do this!

The weekend had 2 big events: a banquet and commitment ceremony. Everyone dressed up and we decorated the chapel formally. (I am using the word "we" very liberaly. I did what I was told, but don't actually have skill in this area! Wow.) We think purity is important enough to make a big deal about it!

This is me and Ms. Parker - a long time Beechpoint advocate and volunteer. The longer I work here the more every event becomes a chance to spend time with my friends!

"Because of Purity Retreat I feel more mature and will be able to make wise decisions." girl, age 11

"Purity Retreat helped me because people at my school treat girls wrong and if I tell them what I learned they might listen. This really helped me a lot." boy, age 12

"My eyes were opened and I realized how wonderful it is to save my virginity for my wife. A lot of people my age need to hear this. I thought this would be lame and awkward, but I really enjoyed it." boy, age 14

Last weekend we had Beechpoint's 5th Annual Steak Fry and Auction. About 300 people atteneded and $42,000 was raised! Praise God for his provision for the ministry! Because of matching grants we will receive another $30,000. The most poignant moment of the evening was when we "sold" camper scholarships. A few people sponsored an entire cabin - $3,000! In less than 10 minutes, $22,000 was given toward camper scholarships! To give you an idea of Beechpoint's financial needs .... each summer we give approximately $120,000 in camper scholarships, and need around $300,000 to finish our new dining hall. Many contributors invest in eternity through Beechpoint.