DeBerry Baptist Church

Last night we rode up to Hatcher's Pass to hike and look around an old abandoned mine.  It was a great time to get away and spend some time enjoying God's beauty.  During our hike, Mrs. Sherry commented on how blessed we were at that moment to see the beauty God had created.  It is humbling to know that God created such beauty but yet He still knows each of our hearts as well. Every morning at camp we have a staff devotional where someone leads a devotional and then anyone can say what is on their mind.  It's how we start our day.  This morning Jessica shared more about how humble we should be to serve God- so mighty and sovereign. She used Luke 12:4-7:

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

It is important for us to remember how mighty God is and how humble we should be- yet, when we surrender to God our STRENGTH is found in God and we have nothing to fear.

Summer # 2 at Laverne Griffin Youth Recreation Camp in Wasilla, Alaska.

I’ve been here a little over a week and I’ve already seen God do many amazing things happen amongst our staff, mission teams, and campers. This summer I am serving with 4 other summer missionaries, Cody, Eric, Jennifer, and Jessica. Cody recently graduated college and is beginning seminary at Baylor University this fall. He has a very interesting testimony and is always a good person to talk to. Eric is a wilderness dude. He talks with a heavy Tennessee twang about “fishin and deer huntin” nonstop. Jennifer worked at the camp last year with me. She is a very trustworthy friend. Jessica has a true servant’s heart. She can never seem to sit still for very long without finding something-anything to clean, straighten, or help with. She challenges me every day to keep working hard at what we are doing here. Mrs. Sherry (momma sherry) and Mr. Walter are the same hard working directors as last year. Their faith and trust in God amazes me. They have a son, Andy, who is 16. The Lorenz family also lives at the camp and serve full-time. They are Mr. George, Mrs. Pam, Elizabeth, James, and Hannah. Mr. George works nights at the hospital and is usually around to help with dinner. Mrs. Pam is the co-camp cook along with Mr. Walter. We also have two older couples and another lady serving at the camps as volunteers for the summer- Mr. Joe & Mrs. Ellen Dean, Mrs. Cheryl & Mr. Pete, and Ms. Joanne. That’s our camp family for now…

We have different things happening at the camp each week and weekend. This past week was Bible Boot Camp for boys 1^st – 6^th grade. Eric and Cody were cabin leaders. We had 28 boys here at the camp and 11 of those made a decision to accept Christ! This past weekend we had a group of ladies with an organization called Casting for Recovery. They are breast cancer survivors who come each year to fly fish out on the lake. This week is Camp Hope- my favorite week of the summer. Camp Hope is for a small group of children with difficult family situations. They come to camp to be “normal kids” for a week. A group of counselors is here with them to talk about many different things that they are struggling with.