La Palabra en Pucallpa: March 2014

For anyone who was wondering, the camp back in January went swimmingly!

We did have one incident where a kid got so many ant bites that he had to go to the hospital to get treated for an unexpected allergic reaction, but as soon as he was treated and his rash and swelling went down in his face and hands and feet, he actually decided to go back to the camp for the remaining 3 days instead of head home to rest. But wait, the story gets even cooler! This particular camper is 17 years old, raised along with some younger siblings by his single mother. I got to talk with his mom for a while before we left for the camp and she said that this was his first camp because she was never able to pay for him to do things like this before. Even this time, she paid me all in coinage that I'm sure she had been saving specifically for the event. She said that he was a good kid, but struggling with respect and direction in life. Well, after 5 days of camp, he ended up giving his life to the Lord. He even went to Walter in tears to talk about some things going on his life. A week later, I got to talk to him and he said that he can already feel a difference in his relationship with his mom and he apologized to her about how he had been treating her before.

That's just one story, though. By the end of the week, 6 of our 36 campers decided to follow Jesus (4 boys and 2 girls). Praise the Lord! It actually ended up going so well, that we are planning to do another camp in July (but the kids all said they want it to be a full 7 days this time!), and word about how great Walter is at being a camp administrator has gotten out on the street and he's already led another 2 day/1 night camp since January and has been asked by another group to coordinate a 3 or 4 day camp for September! I'm so proud of my hubby who finds time for his passions and ministry even with his family and job obligations.

Since the camp, Walter and I have been working in a team led by Jimmy Sisley to lead a down town youth group meeting twice a month called Alto Voltaje ("High Voltage"). Each time we meet we have games, music and a biblical message. Walter's roles include coordinating games and activities and playing in the praise band, while I partner with Jimmy to come up with lesson topics and aids (like skits and video clips). We have another girl in charge of communicating with the kids through technology such as Facebook and WhatsApp, a guy in charge of all the sound and tech equipment (who also helps with games), and a few more people who play/sing in the praise band. We never know what to expect each week, as some weeks we've had as many as 40 teens and early 20-somethings show up, and other weeks we've only had about 20. If you think of it, please be praying for this group as we will be kicking off the new school-year with our next youth group meeting on Saturday, March 15.

Not much else has been going on. My belly just keeps on getting bigger and bigger as I am now in my third trimester of pregnancy. As far as Baby Tello is concerned, he and I are both growing well and staying healthy. He's an active little guy, and I'm sure he will he either be a kick-boxer or soccer player based on how he's been treating me lately, haha.

Well, I pray you all have a blessed week. As always, thank you for your prayers and support. Enjoy the pictures below from "Campamento X-tremo 2014".

Playing "hockey"

Which team can eat a watermelon half fastest?

Jimmy Sisley led all of the night Bible sessions

Night Volleyball

There were lots of water games...this was just one of them.

Vann Brock set up tether ball and it didn't take long before break times were converted into tether ball tournaments. All the older guys challenged Vann, but could never beat him.