Today I am headed to Cedar Crest for a week of Mission Adventure Camp with children from my church.  Over 130 children and leaders will be there, plus the staff and missionaries.  It will be a week of learning and lots of fun. 

I take kids to camp because a week of camp is like going on a spiritual retreat for children.  They are out of their own routines and immersed in activities that help them focus on God and His call on their lives.  During the week, the church chaperones spend more time with the kids than they often do in an entire year of regular church activities.  There are times for important conversations as well as plain fun.  Kids and adults have the opportunity to see each other in new way after experiencing camp together.

During camp kids and adults pray together and hear life concerns.  They study the Bible together and learn the importance of quiet time.  As they interact with missionaries, the chaperones can discern which kids are really attuned to the missionary and perhaps are sensing a call to missions.  We know that God often speaks to children about His plan for their lives long before they comprehend what it is all about.  Only years later do we hear adults say that God first began speaking to them about serving Him when they were children.

This week we have a guest from Korea.  Suk Kyung Min is on the Korea WMU staff and has come to observe our missions camp.  She helps with the KBWMU missions camps and will be taking on more responsibilities for children’s missions education.  Please pray for her as she observes this week.  Coming to translate is Won Beom Cho who first visited our camps in 2007.  Won Beom first came to Kentucky with a group of Korean young adults to observe our work.  He has recently come to Southern Seminary to study.  Mrs. Min has been studying English for two years and does well, but it will also be helpful to have Won Beom translate.

This week of camp is a coed week for boys and girls, grades 3-6.  A full week of activities is planned, which include not only the Bible study and missions learning, but adventure recretation provided by Crossings Ministries.  From zip lines to the blob, the kids have lots of fun in these activities. 

Pray for us this week and for the two weeks of association day camps to follow.  Our staff will go to Ohio River Association and to Logan-Todd Association and lead camp experiences for kids who might not get to a place like Cedar Crest.  Pray that wherever we encounter children, that we will share Christ and the challenge of the Great Commission.  Pray for Stacy Nall, our camp director and the eight staff members who are serving with her.