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U.S. Director's Column
Whenever I read reports from Claudia Long about Camp
Youth Alive ( click here),
my mind travels back to a special camp I attended when
I was just a kid. To this day, I consider that camp
one of the most significant influences on my entire
life.
Every summer that camp challenged me to live out |
the Christian life, to reflect Christ at school, to be a witness
for Him, and to share the gospel whenever I could. It was a
tremendous opportunity to get away from my normal routine and
focus my attention wholly on Christ.
That's why I'm so excited about the work Claudia is doing with Camp Youth Alive. For many of the campers, particularly those from urban environments, Camp Youth Alive is like nothing they've ever experienced before.
Campers are given the chance to be kids and to have fun, but they are also challenged to live their lives for Christ. And the kids are responding to that challenge! Every year, hundreds of children and young adults leave Camp Youth Alive changed, committed to Christ, and determined to live their lives for Him, no matter what circumstances they face.
For many of these campers, life is and will continue to be difficult.
They simply do not have the educational and occupational opportunities
that we often take for granted. But with the practical skills
kids learn at camp, or through programs like Skills for Youth
in Rural Areas (click here),
these young people are given the opportunity to make a better
life for themselves and their families.
I want to thank you for your gifts that make programs like these possible. And I especially want to thank you for your prayers, for I am convinced that it is the only way we can accomplish anything of lasting value for God's Kingdom.
So please continue to pray for Camp Youth Alive and our Skills
for Youth in Rural Areas program. I also want to encourage you
to pray for the needs and opportunities mentioned (click
here) and for other areas of SIM's ministry as God lays
them on your heart.
Prayer is by far the most valuable tool
we have for spreading the gospel. I was reminded of that
truth again recently, when I learned that a group of Asian
believers had been praying for a particular region in
Pakistan for years. Last year, that region was struck
by a devastating earthquake--a tragic event that opened
the door to Pakistan. Hundreds of Christian workers flooded
the area to bring relief and demonstrate the love of Christ.
Today, it is exciting to see how Muslim people who were
very resistant to the gospel are now more responsive than
ever!
And that's just one of dozens of examples from around
the world that demonstrate how your prayers and gifts
are making a difference! |
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That's why I want to encourage you to continue to uphold SIM
in your prayers. I firmly believe that you are helping change
the world "by prayer!"
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