Hi Mom and Dad! 

A few of our campers have a message for their parents!

The real MVPs of camp? Cabin leaders!

They're the ones having meaningful conversations, praying with students,  celebrating victories, and faithfully pointing the next generation to Jesus.

Day 3 at Kids + Youth Camp was filled with moments of growth, honesty, and transformation. As the week continues, we're seeing students move beyond simply learning about Jesus—they're responding to His invitation to become more like Him.

Throughout the day, students spent time in worship, chapel, cabin devotions, games, and meaningful conversations with their leaders. As trust continues to grow within each cabin, many students are opening up in deeper ways, sharing their struggles, asking thoughtful questions, and encouraging one another in their faith.

In Kids Chapel, students learned that because we are adopted into God's family, we don't have to be slaves to sin. They were reminded that God's love changes our hearts and that following Jesus means becoming more like Him each day. Many kids responded by receiving prayer for boldness, confidence, and a deeper desire to follow Jesus.

In Youth Chapel, students were challenged with the truth that the gospel isn't "behave so you can belong"—it's "you belong, so now you can become." They explored what it means to live from their identity as sons and daughters of God, not simply as rule followers. They were reminded that holiness isn't about perfection, but about continually moving in the direction of Jesus.

One of the most encouraging parts of the day happened during cabin conversations and leader debriefs. Students courageously shared things they had been carrying, with some expressing a desire to stop running from God and return to Him. Leaders also shared how God is working in their own hearts as they walk alongside these students with gentleness, grace, and truth.

The challenge that echoed throughout the day was simple but powerful: We don't want to leave camp simply inspired—we want to leave transformed.

Pray With Us

• Pray that every student would continue to experience the transforming love of the Lord.
• Pray for courage to confess, trust God, and take a next step in following Jesus.
• Pray that students would return home with a faith that is personal, lasting, and rooted in their identity as God's children.
• Pray for wisdom, strength, and encouragement for our incredible cabin leaders as they continue investing in each student.
  
  

We're so grateful for all that God is doing at camp, and we can't wait to see what He has in store for the rest of the week!

What an incredible Day 2 at Kids + Youth Camp! God is moving in powerful ways as students continue to encounter Jesus. From passionate worship and meaningful cabin conversations to nonstop games and laughter, we can report that things are going well!

God Brings Order from Chaos
Today, Pastor Kiefer taught our kids that God is a God of order. From the very beginning, He brought order out of chaos. Apart from Him, life becomes chaotic, but God transforms chaos into order, and from that order He brings purpose. Even more incredible, He invites us into His redemptive work of bringing His creation back into order through a relationship with Him.

The More We Know God, the More We Trust Him
This morning, Pastor Jared challenged our students to know God's character more deeply. The more we understand who God is, the more we discover that He is trustworthy and worthy of giving our whole lives to. Knowing God leads us to trust God, and trusting Him leads us to surrender every part of our lives to Him.

The Gospel Brings Us Home
Tonight, Pastor Omar spoke about our deep need to belong. So often we look for belonging in fragile things—relationships, popularity, achievements, or being part of a team. While those things can be good, they were never meant to carry the weight of our identity. They can all disappoint us.

The Gospel, however, is God bringing us home. Through Jesus, we are welcomed into God's family, and through the Holy Spirit we have the assurance that we belong to Him. We know who we are because we know whose we are.

One Question Echoed Throughout the Day
Although our Kids and Youth heard different messages today, one question echoed throughout each session: "Who else is worthy?" God is our Creator. He is our Father. He alone is worthy of our worship, our affection, our trust, and our whole lives.

How You Can Pray
As camp continues, would you join us in praying for:

• Continued relationship building and deeper friendships within each cabin.
• Honesty, vulnerability, and authentic conversations during cabin devotions.
• Kids and youth to surrender every part of their lives to Jesus.
• Every student to find their identity and belonging in Christ alone.
• Every camper to recognize that Jesus alone is worthy of their lives.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer. We are expectant for all that God will continue to do in the lives of our kids and youth throughout the rest of this week!

Throughout the first day of camp, campers jumped into activities, spent time with their cabin groups, and began making memories together. Our kids enjoyed late-night swimming while our youth jumped into the energy of Color Wars—shared experiences that help build relationships and create opportunities for meaningful conversations about Jesus.
We ended the day with powerful times of worship to kick off our first chapel session of the week. The youth gathered under the open sky while our kids worshiped together indoors. We are so thankful for our incredible Serve Team members who are pouring into the lives of each student with joy, compassion, and purpose.

As we look ahead to the rest of the week, we're expectant for all that God will do. Pastor Omar Lara and Pastor Kiefer Anable are here to minister the Word! We're excited to see all that God has in store as students encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and experience His freedom.

PRAY WITH US

• Pray that every student would encounter Jesus in a personal and life-changing way this week.
• Pray for our leaders to be filled with God's strength, wisdom, and compassion as they serve.
• Pray that students would build meaningful friendships and have hearts that are open to what God wants to do.
• Pray for protection, unity, joy, and presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the rest of camp.

There are over 100 Serve Team members at Kids + Youth Camp this week, and every single one has a story behind why they said yes.

One week with Jesus can change a student's life for eternity.

Join us in praying for all of our kids, youth + Serve Team as they spend the week at Black Lake Bible Camp from July 13-17.