MapleLeaf Summer Newsletter
Dear Friends in Christ,
August is here and today will be the first non-hot day we have had in many days. I can’t remember having a hotter summer weather-wise in my 21 years of working with New Life Bible Camp. It looks like it is going to rain today which will be blessing. We need it so badly.
Even with the hot and sticky weather we had, I could not have imagined us having such a powerful summer of ministry with our campers. To start off, we had a very inexperienced group of counselors, especially on the guys side. None of the fellows God brought to us to work as counselors at Main Camp had ever been to the camp, even as campers. So I was a bit worried until I met everyone on the first day of staff training and realized that the Lord knew what He was doing and He had everything in His control. What a pleasure it was to work with these wonderful folks, Hannah Heins, R J Rush, Sarah Zubrowski, JaNel Humbertson, Jordyn Grimm, Steve Zubrowski, Joey Teceno, Tian Frederick, Benjamin Kroll, Jesse Opel, Becca Hattenfield, and Amy Wunder., (also the Adventure Camp Staff and the K-Crew).
Our theme this summer was “Far Out! Exploring the wonders of God.” The curriculum (SPACE) took the camper into different aspects of who God is every afternoon as part of the Cabin Small Group Bible Study. We looked at God’s Sovereignty, His Providence, His Attributes, His Creation, and His Everlasting love for His creation. One comment I got from a parent that I found very encouraging was, “My daughter won’t stop talking about God. I think she learned more about God in one week, then in the rest of her life. The Teen Week Friday night campfire also stands out as a favorite memory for me. We had to meet indoors due to the weather but that did not hinder our worship. We sang for 30 to 45 minutes like we were gathered at the foot of God’s throne. Then we opened up the floor to give the teens a chance to express what they had learned about God. It was amazing, one after another spoke out. It was a massive outpouring of love for the Lord. It was a powerful night for all of us to take part in.
Now I have to get back into retreat mode, which is not always an easy task after having such a wonderful experience during the summer. The Lodge seems so empty after the summer staff leaves, but once the retreat group arrives, I am ready to begin ministering to them. We have had two groups for retreats already and we just concluded summer camp a week ago. Next week we are running a new program called Family Fun Week. A group of families from Chantilly Bible Church are coming to stay for a week and they will help us do some outreach into our community through service projects, clothing exchange, camp activities for local families, and daily Bible stories for all who attend. We have never tried anything like this before so please keep us in your prayers. After the Family Fun Camp concludes, I will have a week of free time to rest before we hold the Mine Road Family Retreat August 27-29.
I am so grateful to all of you who support me in prayer. Special thanks to all of you who support me financially. I could not take part in this ministry without your help. Thanks to your partnership, 42 campers came to Christ this summer. Thanks for being a big part of all that God does at New Life.
Blessings,
Andy Maples
August is here and today will be the first non-hot day we have had in many days. I can’t remember having a hotter summer weather-wise in my 21 years of working with New Life Bible Camp. It looks like it is going to rain today which will be blessing. We need it so badly.
Even with the hot and sticky weather we had, I could not have imagined us having such a powerful summer of ministry with our campers. To start off, we had a very inexperienced group of counselors, especially on the guys side. None of the fellows God brought to us to work as counselors at Main Camp had ever been to the camp, even as campers. So I was a bit worried until I met everyone on the first day of staff training and realized that the Lord knew what He was doing and He had everything in His control. What a pleasure it was to work with these wonderful folks, Hannah Heins, R J Rush, Sarah Zubrowski, JaNel Humbertson, Jordyn Grimm, Steve Zubrowski, Joey Teceno, Tian Frederick, Benjamin Kroll, Jesse Opel, Becca Hattenfield, and Amy Wunder., (also the Adventure Camp Staff and the K-Crew).
Our theme this summer was “Far Out! Exploring the wonders of God.” The curriculum (SPACE) took the camper into different aspects of who God is every afternoon as part of the Cabin Small Group Bible Study. We looked at God’s Sovereignty, His Providence, His Attributes, His Creation, and His Everlasting love for His creation. One comment I got from a parent that I found very encouraging was, “My daughter won’t stop talking about God. I think she learned more about God in one week, then in the rest of her life. The Teen Week Friday night campfire also stands out as a favorite memory for me. We had to meet indoors due to the weather but that did not hinder our worship. We sang for 30 to 45 minutes like we were gathered at the foot of God’s throne. Then we opened up the floor to give the teens a chance to express what they had learned about God. It was amazing, one after another spoke out. It was a massive outpouring of love for the Lord. It was a powerful night for all of us to take part in.
Now I have to get back into retreat mode, which is not always an easy task after having such a wonderful experience during the summer. The Lodge seems so empty after the summer staff leaves, but once the retreat group arrives, I am ready to begin ministering to them. We have had two groups for retreats already and we just concluded summer camp a week ago. Next week we are running a new program called Family Fun Week. A group of families from Chantilly Bible Church are coming to stay for a week and they will help us do some outreach into our community through service projects, clothing exchange, camp activities for local families, and daily Bible stories for all who attend. We have never tried anything like this before so please keep us in your prayers. After the Family Fun Camp concludes, I will have a week of free time to rest before we hold the Mine Road Family Retreat August 27-29.
I am so grateful to all of you who support me in prayer. Special thanks to all of you who support me financially. I could not take part in this ministry without your help. Thanks to your partnership, 42 campers came to Christ this summer. Thanks for being a big part of all that God does at New Life.
Blessings,
Andy Maples