2006 Staff Email #1

This is a copy of an email that has already been sent to incoming staff for 2006. I'll continue posting emails here, as they contain prayer requests for the summer and upcoming events for the spring. (Sent 3/29/06)

Pray
Please be in prayer that God provides us with quality male counselors and instructors for our rock and paintball programs. If you know of anyone who might fit one of these positions this summer, please put them in touch with camp!

Begin praying for this summer's campers. I know its difficult when they're just blank faces right now, but ask God to begin preparing your heart to love them, and preparing their hearts for the work he has in store at camp this summer. A portion of the staff website says:

Choosing to come to a place like PVM is a choice of action ... it requires sacrifice, balancing priorities, and even a level of risk-taking. More specifically, when you choose to serve at a place like a summer camp, you are choosing to love. You're choosing to go out of your way to give a gift to other people, to show them compassion and charity and to serve their needs. I John 4:19 says that "We love because He first loved us."

This is extremely important to remember, because it will help you understand exactly what the root of your love is. Without His sacrifice and love for us, we would not be able to serve kids at a summer camp. Hey, without Him we're nothing at all! It all comes back to God, and it's vital to know and understand that before considering any other reasons. It's like adoption ... when a couple decides to adopt a child, they must "pre-love" that child even before they meet her. They must prepare a home that is suitable, go through mounds of paperwork, and set their hearts on caring for the child wholeheartedly. By the time the child comes, she is welcomed into the family, having been loved for months (or even years) already. That's how God loves us (see Ephesians 1:5) ... and that's how we can love the campers.

Stuff from camp
I'm in the process of putting together a mailing that will include some additional things to help you prepare for this summer, including a few forms, details about training, and some things to read before you arrive. It will be mailed out in the next couple of weeks (by mid-April).

Volunteering Opportunities
If you're itching to come out to camp, or maybe haven't been here and want to see the grounds and schmooz with some future staff-mates, there are several volunteering opportunities coming up!

- Work Day Saturdays: During many of the Saturdays this spring, we will be out here doing some of the outdoor labor that needs to happen in order to get the grounds ready for the summer. Call ahead to see if there's something already going on that Saturday to join in on (this Saturday at 10am, for example!), or if you'd like to bring out a group of friends for a service project, we'd love to arrange something for you!

April 20 (Thurs.)- Zipline 3:30-5:30pm- We still need a few helpers!
April 22 (Sat.)- SLAM Jam (Teen event). 5:30-9:30 at Eaton YMCA.
April 23 (Sun.)- PVM Open House- ALL WELCOME!
April 29 (Sat.)- Zipline, Climbing Tower.(time TBA)
May 6 (Sat.)- Zipline (time TBA)
May 20 (Sat.) SLAM Jam (Teen event). 5:30-9:30 at Eaton YMCA.

Contact David about workdays; contact Amber about the others.

Thanks, all. We have already begun praying for you here. I hope that God is leading you through experiences this semester to preapare you more and more to love like He loves. I look forward to see you soon!