The entrance to the new camp facility. We are surrounded by mountains and desert.

Two of our incredible leaders - Pablo and Andrew.




Another integral leader for camp - Alleen Mclain - chillin' with some penguins. Thanks for all of your hard work!



The Twin Lakes Peru Camp Team leader - Tuan La - waiting at the bus stop and enjoying the beautiful nighttime weather. This man, along with many others based in Peru, made it all happen!


Pablo playing in the pool.

Keith McDaniel - one of the most joyful women in the world. 84 years young, showing us how to do cross cultural ministry!



Muyupama - Peruvian jam extraordinaires.


Daniel Hillberry joined the band for a song or two. He was impressive!


Picture of the decade. Yes, that's an alpaca.

Lunch at Mango's in Larco Mar. Amazing food, beautiful view.



The group in front of Arevalo Church.



Morning Assembly. We begin each day with a classic Twin Lakes tunnel of excitement as each bus arrives. Pablo leads us with an amount of energy and wit that is breath-taking. He is truly doing a wonderful job as the Peruvian camp director. Allen Smith and a team of wonderfully talented musicians sing with the kids before and after the activities every day. Some favorites are the Fruit of the Spirit (translated into spanish) and a great song about allegiance to Christ that is written to the tune of the Peruvian national anthem. It is great for this year's theme of Christ's Kingship in our hearts.

From assembly we move to the activities - The pools, archery and facepainting, sports, super fun games and inflatables, and the evangelism tent and crafts. Yesterday the kids made crowns and decorated them with sticky jewels and today they made pateca (sp?), which is essentially a Brazilian hacky sack with feathers. Both were huge hits with the kids. Great job Tuan on planning out the crafts!

The enormous feat called "lunch" is accomplished through a series of shifts and schedules. The food has been great - variations of chicken and rice both days.

In the afternoon assembly we recap what the kids learned in the evangelism tent that day, with some antics and examples to spark their imaginations.

Both days have been incredibly smooth - some say the smoothest that the Twin Lakes Peru Camp have ever seen. Praise God for that!

We are about to go to the Bolton's house for dinner tonight, last night enjoying a traditional Peruvian musical performance at the Smith's house. Thank you for your prayers!

It's a beautiful day

Camp 2010 group picture!

Quick Update

There is not much time on this early Monday morning - but here is whats happenin...

- We will leave for the camp site at 7:15am Eastern. Campers are SUPPOSED to arrive at 9:00, but somehow, our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Peru arrive early for camp alone. It is just that exciting!

- The location for camp this year is brand new. It should be a blessing, but it is not as centralized as the last camp site. There are many places where you cannot see the other activity sites - so pray for camper safety!

- We have heard that there are two legitimate penguins living in a small lagoon at the camp. Who would have thought?

- There are two types of counselors for camp - activity counselors and group counselors. Activity counselors teach each period and supervise safety. The group counselor builds relationships with the kids throughout the week and facilitates safe transitions from site to site. We hope this structure leads to effective discipleship!

- Continue to pray that no one eats anything that makes them sick and for general health. We know that the Lord will provide - but we need every person we have to pull off camp!

- Today we will take a look at King Saul. The kids will make crowns in Arts and Crafts and throughout the day learn what kingship really means. Saul was outwardly impressive, but he did not obey God. Saul sought his own will and sacrificed to God to justify his actions. In response to this, God rejected him as King. {Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams...because you have rejected My words, I have also rejected you from being King. from 1st Samuel 15:22 and 23] We hope to communicate the need for Christ through revealing this sin in all of our lives. Pray that the kids would come to understand today that God does not love us or justify us based on our good deeds and work, even if done in His name. Obedience flows from gratitude for grace in Christ Jesus. Each day we will point past the story to King Jesus as the King of our Hearts.

- The team is growing together, getting adjusted, laughing more, being sleepy less, and are excited about today.

Sunday, Blessed Sunday

Latest News:

- Saturday was an incredible day - we walked around Lima, visited the Indian Market, and ate delicious Peruvian food at Mango's at Larco Mar overlooking the Pacific ocean. Everyone back home should try ceviche, which is fish "cooked" with citric acid. That's right, it looks and tastes like zesty sushi! A few of the team members were a little hesitant - as should be expected.

- We were blessed to find the two missing bags with our other luggage once we landed in Trujillo! Tuan and Krystin are relieved. Thanks for your prayers. Elias in Bob the Bus and a fleet of taxis were waiting for us in the airport parking lot to bring us to the hotel. We will be spending a good bit of quality time with Bob the Bus. He's a pleasant fellow.

- Tuan, Andrew, Zack, Alleen, and Pablo (the Peru Camp Director) met last night while the team prepared camp supplies. The opportunity to teach and nurture these churches in camping ministry is thrilling. There are of course many details and a new location that will require more time and planning, but casting the vision of sharing Christ in word and deed is what we hope to accomplish. Proverbs 29:18 tells us that “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Pray that we would not miss the purpose and life of camp - the faithfulness of God manifested in the serving of children for the sake of their salvation. Pray also that we would share that vision effectively: in word and by example.

- Once we settle into a schedule, we'll be able to post some pictures!

- This morning we have the pleasure of worshiping with Arevalo church. We'll meet many of our Peruvian brothers and sisters in Christ for the first time.

- Everyone on the team is doing great! We're adjusting to a different culture and adapting to different habits and customs. Pray that God would use this time to make us faithful to Him and not to our comforts.

“All is quiet on New Years’ day”

8:37pm. January 1st, 2010. Happy New Year! A few staff celebrated with a bonfire and fireworks at the bonfire site at Twin Lakes. The trip began as early as 4:15am the next morning for some of the team – with a hearty breakfast of Twin Lakes biscuits, sausage, orange juice, and of course, Community coffee! By 6:15am we were on our way to New Orleans.

Praise God for smooth travel on the way to the airport. With stops in Crystal Springs and Brookhaven, we picked up a few team members. The parking lot of Grace Presbyterian Church served as the first stage of summer camp in Peru – we joined hands in the biting wind and went before the Lord as a group to ask that His will be done through this trip.

All passports were remembered, all bags fit the weight requirements, all immune systems are in working order, and all of us are on a Boeing 767 heading towards Lima, Peru. God is good! Everything has gone according to plan! But please pray that we would remember that perfect logistical actualization is not a necessity for God’s will to be accomplished through this trip. Pray that we would be mindful that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness and even in our trials. So whether it’s a small detail or a significant change in itinerary – pray that we would be humble and Christ-like in our responses.

This week we are pointing the kids towards Christ through the story of David and Goliath. How beautiful that God shows His own glory through weak vessels! How amazing that God can accomplish great things through the unfit, unqualified, and undeserving! In a world of appearances, praise God that though man looks on the outward appearance – God looks on the heart. Through Christ’s work and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He has made a way for our sinful hearts to be something beautiful to look at once again. I hope that we can proclaim this message boldly in word and in our actions this week.





Quickfacts:


- So far, Mary Palmer’s favorite things are airport security and oatmeal chewies
- We enjoyed serenading the airport terminal with Twin Lakes musical arrangements for mandolin and guitar of Pachelbel, Canon in D, Miley Cyrus, and great hymns of the faith.

January 2nd Morning Update:We are eating breakfast in our hotel in Lima! Most of us were able to get to bed at around 2:00am. Two bags were lost - pray that they would be found before we leave Lima. About to head to the Indian Market here in Lima for a day to get to know the culture of Peru.

Sheep called to be shepherds

¹⁴"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
John 10: 14-16

A group of sheep called to be shepherds met on Saturday here at Twin Lakes. It was a motley crew of sinners and saints seeking to prepare for our trip on January 1st. We don't offer much - just the message that has been given to us. We're not good shepherds, but we hope that our effort in Peru will look like the work of our Good Shepherd. He is infinitely faithful, good, and patient. We believe with certainty that He can accomplish His mission through us by His grace and His Spirit.

The meeting was a blast - filled with games, videos, and introspective sessions all for the sake of being reminded of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus communicated through metaphors so that His listeners could understand the truth (my how good He is to be patient with sheep like us!) We discussed scriptural metaphors and pictures that could describe why, how, and what we are going to do in Peru. The planning meeting, though definitely marked by the details of international travel, was primarily marked by a desire to dig into scripture, be faithful in prayer, and strive for Gospel servanthood.

Ways you can help:

• Pray for us - all the final details, support raising, and safety as well as softened hearts for our team as well as the children we will serve.
• Give - We need partners to help pay for T-shirts for the children and staff. If you are interested, we'd love to talk with you!
• Send - last year we were able to bring suitcases full of supplies and gifts for the orphanage in Trujillo. This year, the airline is charging $50 per extra suitcase, and our support cannot cover that cost. If you would like to fill an old suitcase and send us with it - let us know!