Hello everyone! Its been a crazy few weeks here in France! Ill try to make it as concise as possible because so much has happened! Our first week here was filled with construction and painting! We built a dragon the size of a small ship and I helped to paint a 40 ft mural! The weather is comparable to Arizona, so we were sweating like crazy. After the construction of the props, we had a chance to host 120 children for a week of crafts, games, dramas, and fun! After 3 days of camp we were unexpectedly forced to stop the camp! There were some parents that complained about the safety of the camp who contacted the local authorities. Although there have been no injuries for more than 8 years of camp, an investigation ensued. The camp was abruptly shut down and the children were sent home. We were all immediately shocked and disappointed. Many of the parents were upset and asked how they could help. This unexpected turn of events allowed the camp to put into practice the theme of the week. This weeks theme was Aixandria, the Kingdom of Grace. Through this turn of events we were awarded the opportunity to extend grace to the disgruntled parents who launched the unfair complaints and the local authorities who acted in a very unprofessional manner (I left out any details about this). We thought it best to demonstrate forgiveness and submission to the authorities. The camp location was shut down, but we were able to have a final picnic with the children and their families! It was a great way to end the week on a positive note and to demonstrate how to extend grace. In the end I think we had the chance to see Gods kingdom at work. Where the bitter parents meant to shut down the camp, God displayed his grace and provision. We were amazed at the response of love and encouragement from the parents. The local newspapers came and ran a headline story about what is happening at the camp. Everyone was able to see the way that the camp graciously handled the whole situation. I personally believe that there were a lot of unseen/ spiritual forces at work. This year at camp, children were taking home and reading Bibles. The administration said that never before have kids taken any bibles home or read them! So this was a very rare occurance, especially in France where the evangelical Christian population is less than 2%. I think that the enemy of Christianity was trying to shut down the camp and stop people from hearing about the gospel of Jesus. Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Now we are on the last days of our time here. We will be heading to the coast to have a day or so of debriefing time before my team heads back to America. Thanks for all your support and ebcouragement!
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:45:41 +0000