Autumn 2021
Isaiah 25:1
“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.”
Dear friends,
The Lord truly has done wonderful things! We are excited to share news about the camp weekends that were held in September and October.
The Southwest Indian Ministries Upper Elementary Camp was held September 10-12 at Chapel Rock Camp in Prescott. There were nine campers who attended, and we were blessed by great help from our co-workers here on the field. We thank God for safe travel from Phoenix to Prescott (about an hour and 45-minute drive). Driving in the Phoenix area can be quite scary!
We thank God that the entire weekend went very well. The children who attended appeared to love the wooded area to explore and rocks to climb. The weather was cooler than the Phoenix area, which also was a blessing. There were four sessions that addressed being a good listener, thinking of others, trusting God, and living life on “the straight path.” Each session began with worship songs, led by fellow WGM missionaries Steve Cartwright and Krista Landaas, and included object lessons and activities to help the children better understand the lesson’s meaning.
For the October camp, 15 teens and seven staff members enjoyed the weekend at Camp Pinerock, also in Prescott. For those that live in the Phoenix area, the nights were quite chilly as it dropped down into the low 50s. The weekend included four sessions with messages covering: “How do we know about God?”, “How does God pursue His children?”, “How do God’s mercy and justice go together?”, and “How big is the God we serve?”. We were happy to have our eldest son, Noah, lead the worship time along with one of his college suitemate, Jonathan. Nearly everyone in the group had a thrill on Saturday afternoon as the group participated in ziplining.
Between camps, we try to stay connected with as many campers as possible. One way is through the twice-a-month “Camp Chats” that continue to take place over Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Thursday nights of each month. The teens that participate are currently studying the parables of Jesus. We thank God for this technology and for each camper who takes the time to come! Another way we try to keep the messages heard at camp in the minds of campers is to send them a monthly devotional via U.S. mail. This devotional ties into the theme of the camp attended and asks questions for the campers to reflect upon.
Dear friends, do you know how important you are to this ministry? To everyone who has prayed for us, for the campers, or for camps themselves, thank you! For both weekends, although they were at different locations and had different children, one thing felt very much the same. Both weekends had truly been prayed over. We could feel it! We know that more people than just us had prayed over these events. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all of you. God is so good, and He hears our prayers!
Thank you so much for being an important part of the team! Please let us know if we can pray for you in any way.
God bless!
Doug and Becky
If you would like to help us minister the the Native youth here in the Southwest, please pray for us and/or make a financial contribution.
