Camp

All I can say is WOW! I had the opportunity to minister with Lantern and Compass over a two week period this summer as we served the children attending the Frederick Rescue Mission Enrichment Camp in Thurmont MD. The camp was designed for kids that are usually targeted by the local school’s liaisons as kids who are homeless, at risk for making grade level, lower income or English is their second language. 

Originally we were expecting to go in one direction to minister to the children, the Lord led us down another path! We went from sharing Bible stories to presenting God’s love and His salvation for all!  The children, coming from diverse home lives, were so hungry to hear about God’s truth and His unconditional love for them. We were blessed to be part of God moving in the lives of children and being witness to 12 kids added to the kingdom of God during those two weeks.

The Lord definitely moved among our team as He is stretched us to rely more on Him and His agenda!  I was so grateful to be a part of Lantern and Compass for a few weeks. Terry and the Team are on fire for a move of God in the children and the Lord is blessing them with unbelievable opportunities to present His truth!

By Tina Taylor – Camp Team Member

Camp for a week… those words affect everyone differently.  My thoughts were, “sure… gross food, but I don’t have to cook, kids get to spend a week with their grandparents, and it may be fun.” Little did I know that it would be one of the VERY best weeks.  

This summer Lantern and Compass was given the opportunity to come alongside Ability Camp, a camp dedicated to special needs adults.  A camp that believes EVERYONE should be given the chance to do a multitude of activities they may not get to participate in otherwise and most importantly the opportunity to worship, pray, and be in the presence of God.

The week started and we hit the ground running.  As recreation staff we planned special games, events, and activities, we were the go-to team for anything needed.  A room needed set up, we were there. Walmart runs… we went. Water passed out to campers… we traveled around the camp.  Campfire started…we struck a match. To say we were busy would be an understatement, but with everything we did there was much more to what was happening around us.

The campers taught us more than we could have imagined.  Fishing was one of the events we took on. Our week was soggy, but we met the campers at the little pond for three early mornings.  Our first morning it poured the rain, we were sure no one would show up, but they did. We stood in the rain for 2 hours baiting hooks, teaching campers how to cast, reeling in empty hooks, to do it all over again.  We laughed a lot that morning! All together we caught ONE fish, but that didn’t matter. The campers didn’t care they didn’t catch fish, the rain didn’t bother them, they were there to have fun and build relationships with those around them.  We had rain everyday, some days more than others, but each day we were fishing. Each day God was working through the campers showing us, it doesn’t matter the conditions, have fun, love the people you are with and be thankful for the time we have to share.  

Beyond all of the activities and fun times, the week was filled with God’s presence around the camp and in each service.  The campers truly worshiped with everything they had, they didn’t care who was around them, they worshipped 110%. A lesson learned from the campers; it doesn’t matter your circumstances, God has given you His love and you need to be thankful each and every day the best that you can.  We saw campers come to know Jesus and dedicate their lives to Him. There was one camper who blessed so many, he was blind, had a hard time walking, did not communicate, and could become aggressive to himself. At the beginning of the week he sat on the floor in the back of each service, it took 2 staff members to work with him, he banged toys, made noises, and could have been very distracted.  Not one person felt he didn’t belong. As the week continued, we saw a change happening… he would pull his 2 adult counselors to the front during worship, he would stand a little straighter each night and move to the beat of the music. His last night with us not only did he move to the front for worship, but he sat in the front during the speaking as well. He did not make noise, he sat and listened to what God had to say.

At the end of the week this camper was baptized in water, when he came out of the water he had a smile on his face, he stood straight up, and gave the leader several high fives when asked, all things we didn’t see throughout the week.  We know God is working in his life!

A week at Ability Tree camp is NOT just another week of summer camp.  It is a week filled with learning from those around you, ministering in ways you never imagined you could, being in God’s presence 24 hours a day, being ministered to by the campers and having a TON of fun.  If you have the opportunity to join Lantern and Compass next year, don’t pass it up! You will be blessed more than you could imagine!!

by Beth Wiles – Camp Team Member

Camp Wannahockaloogie is fun and exciting every year. This year, however, was particularly special. Our theme was God’s love for us, it is the reason we live and the purpose for our lives. We felt that it was important for the kids to understand their purpose in life, so we explained who God is to them. After all who could be passionate about God’s love without understanding who God is himself? The trinity seemed like it would be difficult to explain, but the kids were open and understood it for the most part.

Throughout the week we were open to and encouraged questions about God, the Bible, and our faith in general in the new War Room. By doing this we were able to address many questions that the kids had, and it opened our eyes to how hungry they all were to hear God’s word. Many questions were asked, and many of them were deep, spiritual questions that we had to research so that we could get back to the kids with an accurate Biblical response. God was present throughout camp, making his presence known in the questions the kids asked, and the worship time that we had. 

There were a few different occasions where we decided to interrupt the originally scheduled events because God was flowing freely throughout our worship. It was an awesome week. It was fun as usual, but the important part of camp is making sure the kids leave knowing more about God and their purpose in life.We are confident that they left this year knowing more about who God is, and we know that many experienced God’s love and presence in a way that they had never experienced before.

By Joe Ernst – Summer Student Team