Dear Praying Friends,
Working as the Youth Pastor at Camp is always wonderful, and I look forward to it all year.
But then COVID-19 hit, and everything changed. ☹
I’ve been teaching Kiddos at Camp Living Waters in Danforth, Maine, for nearly a decade, and was scheduled to do so again this summer.
But due to the Governor of Maine’s Covid-19 restrictions, Camp Living Waters had to cancel ALL their Kids’ Camps for the whole summer.
I was heart-broken because, for many of these kids, their week at camp is all the Bible teaching they get all year. These kids NEED the Word and the Love of Jesus, and they won’t get it this summer. (So please do pray for Camp Living Waters and the kiddos who didn’t get to learn about Jesus this summer.)
But then something UNEXPECTED happened. A sweet woman who attends a Church I preach at called the Director of a Christian Camp here in New Hampshire, and recommended me as a Preacher at his camp. And he called me and said he needed somebody, and I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE!!! (Did I mention how much I love reaching kids with the Word of God at Camp???)
I was asked to use my paint-board to preach a 5-part series. I started where I love to start my first time at a venue: The Gospel in Creation (Genesis chapters 1-4).
These messages are very powerful because they’re right from the Scriptures. I believe that kids are very intelligent and can understand Theology if it is explained to them, and that was definitely the case this summer. So many kids reacted so positively to the Word of God and the Gospel Proclamation! And they learned that The Gospel is in ALL of Scripture, not just the New Testament.
Over 50 kids, plus a dozen or so Teen Counselors, attended camp the week I taught there.
And get this!!! Because of the pandemic, nearly all the Camps in the area decided to close. This Christian Camp was one of the only ones that dared open. As a result, lots of kids from unbelieving homes signed up for Christian Camp who otherwise would not have come. These unreached kids heard the Gospel and experienced the Love of Jesus! Because of COVID-19! Soooooo exciting!!!!!
It was a wide-open Mission Field to the unreached!!!
A handful of kids publicly testified to repenting of their sin and trusting in Jesus as their Savior! Praise God!
Many more confessed to not living the Christian life they should and committed to turning from idols in their lives. Please keep these new brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers, and let’s PRAISE GOD for the tremendous work He’s done!!!
God’s Word is powerful because God is powerful!!!
I have some photos that will also show how God moved at camp this summer. I pray you enjoy these…
And these are the AMAZING kiddos (and Teen Counselors) I got to teach this amazing week. Let's definitely be praying for this new generation.
Kids getting ready for Chapel to start.
The kids learning to praise God with singing!
This is 7-year-old "N." This is an ACTUAL conversation I had with her. Me: How old are you? N: 7-years-old. Me: Hey, I'm 7-years-old too! N: (With a biiiiiiig smile) No you're not. You're 85! Me: 85? You think I'm that old? N: Yes, you have grey hair. See? You have some there and there and there (pointing the grey out seriously.) Ah, the joy of Kids Ministry. It's worth it though! But where's my Geritol???
Yummy food at the dining hall!
So they did this fun thing... Every day they hid this plush moose somewhere on the property. Whoever found it first got to go up and eat first.
Hey, I found the Moose hiding in a tree!!!
My Jarvis making friends on the Camp's beach.
A young lady was baptized in the lake. Praise God!!!
Okay, so I figured that since I'm at a Camp in New Hampshire, nearly everyone would be a Patriots fan. BOY WAS I WRONG! It turns out that most of the families who go to this camp travel from New York and New Jersey. They were vicious to me about being a Patriots fan. But this young man - he was THE ONLY ONE I could find who shares my like for the Pats.
Seriously, corn-hole targets with NY Giants and NY Jets logos??? Such suffering for the gospel!
Some of the great new friends I made at camp. Really nice people. I hope to see them again next summer.
I taught a 5-day series called “The Gospel Through Creation” The before and after photos, as well as descriptions, are below:
Part 1 of a 5-day series on "The Gospel in Creation." I believe kids are smart and can understand Theology when explained to them. So we learned God is "Eternal," meaning He always existed and always will. We learned that God does not have a body of flesh and bones, but is a Spirit. We learned that there is only 1 True God, and He exists in Three Persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We learned that God does not need anything. He is self-sufficient. We learned that God is omni-present (everywhere at all times), and that God is more powerful that everything! Great Theology there, and the kids really "got it."
Part 2 in "The Gospel in Creation." We learned that God is soooo powerful, He can make things from NOTHING! That's pretty amazing. And we learned how life began, and what God made on each of the six days of Creation. We also learned that out of all of creation, humans are the only ones made in God's image, which means, like God, we can reason and analyze and make decisions. At the end of the 6th day, God saw that it was "very good." But why aren't things good today? We'll learn that tomorrow.
Part 3 in "The Gospel Through Creation." We learned "How Death Came Into the World." Adam and Eve had only one rule, and they said "yes" to sin, and that lead to death. The whole human race died three ways: 1) We were cut off from God, our life source. Just like when a branch is cut off from the trunk, it begins dying, the same thing happened to us. Now God is not our friend, but we are enemies of God through rebellion. 2) We will all someday die physically. 3) We all deserve to live forever in the Lake of Fire. Our only way out is through a Savior. I told the kids that they'd learn about God's way out - The Savior - tomorrow!
Part 4 in "The Gospel Through Creation." We learned that as a result of breaking God's Law, Adam and Eve were now ashamed, and afraid of God. They had never experienced these negative emotions before. Then they started blaming one another, another new aspect of their relationship now that sin was in the world. But God was merciful! He made leather skins to cover them, and that requires the death of an animal. The very first death ever was a blood sacrifice by God Himself. God also promised to crush the head of the serpent (Satan). But there were consequences to Adam and Eve's rebellion. The worst is that Paradise was lost, and without a Savior, all humanity is doomed for the Lake of Fire. The greatest news ever is that God provided Jesus as a substitute to die in our place, paying for our sins with His blood! More on that tomorrow!
Part 5 in "The Gospel Through Creation." Today we learned that God demanded a blood sacrifice because sin must be paid for with death. Abel obeyed and offered a blood sacrifice in faith. In contrast, Cain did what seemed right in his eyes and gave a produce offering. God accepted Abel. Cain had the opportunity to admit what he did was wrong, but instead he tragically killed his brother. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the animal sacrificial system. We can be like Cain and do what is right in our own eyes, and get what we deserve - the Lake of Fire. Or we can be like Abel and believe God, and choose a blood sacrifice - Jesus Christ. Jesus' blood sacrifice covers us if we turn from our sin and trust in the gospel! There was a very clear gospel presentation and everyone was exhorted to turn to Jesus. Please pray for the kids who heard this vital message!!!
Please note: I didn’t record the Bible Messages, because I recorded the exact same messages last summer. So they’re already available on YouTube.
If you’d like to see the 5-Part Series on “The Gospel in Creation,” they’re all available at THIS BLOG POST: https://luke-15.org/2020/03/new-videos-the-gospel-in-creation-5-part-bible-series-for-kids-and-adults/.
And below are a bunch of Gospel Magic Tricks I did at Camp. I hope you enjoy those.
The Incredible Changing Bible (with Fire!)
In this video, I perform an object lesson with an unusual “Holy Bible” coloring book to share my testimony of faith in Christ. I also do a fun trick where FIRE comes from the Bible. It gives new meaning to: “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:29).
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/URWg5YHOs-4
Proving God Exists with an Airzooka
In this video I perform an object lesson to teach how we can know God exists. It’s a bit unusual because I use an “airzooka” to do it. Oh, and a sandcastle too.
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/vGeMkXlFcTo
Yes, No, Maybe So!
In this video I perform a gospel Magic Trick to illustrate sin, forgiveness, and The Great News.
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/qYwQlrdw1AI
The Peculiar Rat Trap
In this video I use a gospel Magic Trick to illustrate what Biblical Faith is. I also answer a common claim of Evolution, demonstrating why it’s false in a visual, memorable way.
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/bYMhxt2nbmc
Heaven in a Jar
In this video I use a gospel Magic Trick with a jar and a quarter to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/jEI4X8aYkp0
The Chemical Cross
In this video I perform an exciting and colorful object lesson with chemicals to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you’d like to share this video with others via email or Social Media, the link is: https://youtu.be/HpV2Yhe0KUo
I hope this post has encouraged you. God is working in the next generation!!!
Thank you for your partnership, prayers, and financial support, without which we could not be reaching the lost for Jesus Christ!!!
Please share this update with others you think would be blessed by it!
all for Jesus,
Mark (and family)
P.S. I got introduced to this new camp because someone recommended our ministry to the Camp Director. This is how we’ve been able to work with just about every Church and Camp we know. Someone recommended us. If you know a Church or a Camp that you think would like to have us come and minister, please recommend us to the Pastor, Director, or Missions Head. Thanks so so much!
What a beautiful surprise it must have been to be invited to minister in New Hampshire after plans fell through in Maine. Isn’t it a treat to watch God turn lemons into lemonade? My faith is always reassured when God works this manner…. His plan is always better than my own and I always always always laugh at myself when God shows me that my disappointments are encouragements to grow in faith.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures; it really made me smile to see the cornhole boards for the Jets and Giants. Such suffering for the sake of the gospel certainly won’t go unrewarded 🙂
Steve
Steve, thank you for your SUPER ENCOURAGING comments (except the part about the Jets/Giants) 😉
But seriously, you really encouraged me brother. I thank Jesus for you!
My best to you and your family, bro.