Family Camp 2010

Hi, the third and last week of camps was the family camps. Again numbers were up on last year. One family of 8 relatives last year returned this year with 15. There were families from Moquegua, Tacna, Ilo, Puno and Arequipa. In fact one family from Tacna came chiefly because their children had enjoyed the two previous camps so much that on returning home had convinced their parents to come to this camp.

There were all the usual activities including again the obstacle course, photograph challenges etc. But as always the family camp had a different atmosphere distinct to the other camps. In some ways more relaxed but yet in other senses the adults where almost more competitive than any young person.

The speakers were Pastor Pedro Cornejo and his wife Chi Chi from Arequipa. They are primarily involved in two ministries. Firstly Pedro is the director of the language institute in Arequipa were the Andrew and Carolyn Roycroft, Simon, Lynn, Shirley and I all attended at different times over the past year. His wife Chi Chi also teaches there a little. They see the institute as more than just a school but as a ministry as they focus on teaching missionaries and often go beyond the classroom in their dedication to the students. For example I know missionaries from other missions who experienced burglaries while in Arequipa and appreciated how the teachers accompanied them both to the Police station and also to the second hand markets to see if they could recuperate any items.

Their other ministry is the Christians in Action church which Pedro pastors. He is a gifted speaker and I was glad they were able to attend the camp. Many campers verbalised how they had benefited from his teaching throughout the week, once again centred on the theme ‘Decisions’.

While Pedro and Chi Chi ministered to the families, at the same time Misión Rescate ran a Summer Bible School for the youngest children.

They seemed to thoroughly enjoy it and learned their memory verses very well.

As I reflect on the three camps I feel we were blessed to have the different speakers we did. Each pair was perfectly suited to the age group they addressed and were all clearly blessed by God in how they ministered. What was also notable about all three pairs of speakers is that they all went beyond the call of duty so to speak. They didn’t just turn up to fill and preaching slot, but got involved in the lives of the campers at individual levels taking time to build relationships with campers they might never see again. It was also encouraging to see campers look for pastoral counsel from all the speakers at various points which evidenced the impact their ministries were having on those in attendance.

This month in many ways is going to be full of preparations for leaving and goodbyes. Please pray that God would give me the right words to share as I visit people for the last time before I go. I also plan to travel up to Lima next Tuesday for a week. I hope to speak to missionaries up there about theological education and other ministries and see what I can learn from their approach to ministry. I also hope to visit friends like the speakers from the young adult’s camp, Rino and Santiago, and say goodbyes there also. Please pray for safety in travel and then as I go around the city which as all large cities can be dangerous.

Please also continue to pray for those at the Luz de Vida church, many of whom attended the various camps. This is something that is on my heart at the moment. They are continuing to struggle with the change of pastor in their church. Pray that God would quickly bring the man of His choosing to them and pray for both the new pastor and the congregation as they form a new relationship between them. Most of those at the church were saved under the ministry of Pastor Freddie, and others cannot remember the time before him. Pray that God would comfort them in this time of upheaval.

God Bless,
Alistair.