Last night I was able to talk to the boys about my personal testimony. Tonight, Dave gave his testimony at the ‘chapel by the lake.’
By being ‘real’ and transparent with these boys about the difficulties we experienced when we were their age, they know they aren’t alone in their struggles.
Both Dave and I have been asked many times: if you could go back and change things, would you? The answer is no. While many things were difficult to go through, those challenges are what made us who we are today. God allowed those things to happen so that He could use us to speak into the lives of these kids.
These testimonies are just one of the ways that we are building relationships and helping to bring down the “walls” these boys have built around them. It’s amazing to see how the boys are already starting to open up and talk about their own personal struggles and challenges.
Day 4
We started the day with a morning devotional and talked about how God made us in His image. We talked about the fact that out of all the things God made, humans were made special. We talked about how God had a very specific purpose for each of these boys.
After breakfast, the boys completed their morning horsemanship lesson. From there, we walked to the zipline. In order to get up to the zipline, each boy had to climb a 35 foot ladder to get to the step-off platform. Once at the top, they had to step off a platform and trust that the rope would catch them. This activity took a lot of courage and faith to complete. But once stepping off, the ride down the zipline was AMAZING!! So worth it! Our lives and our relationship with God is very similar. Dave and I, and many of these teens, are going through some tough challenges (the ladder). Stepping off the platform takes faith in the rope that it will catch you. Similarity, believing in God and making Him the leader in your life takes a lot of faith. But, once you make this decision, the ride is AMAZING!! Now, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some bumps along the way. God never promised life would be easy.
After the zipline, the boys were able to throw some hatchets just before we left to tube down the Muskegon river. We had so much fun and were able to relax at the same time.
Ending the day with Dave’s testimony was icing on the cake.
It looks like the weather will be good for the backpacking trip beginning on Thursday. Please keep us in your prayers.
Anthony,
Another word of encouragement from your prayer partner Kim here. I’ve been staying updated on your adventures. Hopefully you are enjoying the well planned activities and staying open to life’s lessons. I pray God watches over you as you embark on the trail tomorrow. This whole experience is such an opportunity to reflect and grow. Focus on YOU and enjoy the journey. Also know you have a lot of people (including me) rooting for you to stay safe and make memories that will last a lifetime. You are strong and can do GREAT things. I look forward to all the updates.
Kim
Well Alex I hope you and the others had a great, and blessed 5 day at camp. We hope all of you were able too do your activities with all the storms passing through. We pray that all of you are learning from your camp experiences.
Blessings
Rick and Jan Heath