Today was the last day of youth camp, and the morning was full of hugs, pictures, and of course Facebook friend requests. Our team bonded with the kids and counselors over the past couple of days, and it was a blessing for us to enjoy the unique connections that each of us had with various kids. After breakfast, we joined the kids for a closing celebration of worship songs and reflection on God’s character. The leaders challenged the kids to remember the milestones and goals they had set for their relationship with Christ and others. It was really encouraging for us to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, praising God and thanking Him for what He’s done over the past days.
Ellie and our new friend Fe.
In today’s team devotional time, the Hamiltons shared about the Great Commission and the Greatest Commandment. Tatyana has a special connection with missions, as she came to Christ through the ministry of an American missionary while she was living in the Ukraine. We’re all fulfilling the Great Commission while here in Panama, and it’s a blessing to be a part of the Gospel work going on here. We may not be directly witnessing to the students, but we’re spreading God’s Word through our speech and actions. And for that to take root and be an effective and authentic ministry, we must have love! Without it, all of our efforts would be only a “resounding gong or clanging cymbal” (I Cor. 13). We’ve all been learning and practicing what it looks like to love others with Christ’s love.
The whole youth group and our team. We'll miss them!
Our team enjoyed a few hours of downtime (naps! the beach!) before the next group arrived. We greeted the bus with another jumping welcome, and were glad to see it chock full of smiling faces. We were told to expect a family camp group of 40-60; the actual group is mostly kids (some younger than 11 and some teens) and some mothers. There isn’t a dad to be found in the group, which is heartbreaking and a reflection of what Robert told us earlier about these kids being from broken or dysfunctional homes. But they arrived VERY excited about camp, and it was contagious! It was great to see our team jump right into serving and building connections with them. We’re looking forward to interacting with a whole new group, sharing Christ’s love. Thanks so much for your prayers and support!
These are the awesome steps that we get to climb every day to get to and from camp.
