Solo

In past few years (especially this year) we have been creating intentional spaces around camp. These spaces are designed for experience because CAMP makes a great connection between experiencing your surroundings and experiencing God.

Every day in all kind of ways we are influenced by our surroundings. People, buildings, weather, cities, suburbs, animals, trees, solitude, stressful situations, busyness, silence and a host of other "externals" are part of our experience as we walk (the moment by moment) with God each day. For a specific time, camp is a unique place with unique externals. For some it is a weekend or a week, for many a summer, and for others almost a lifetime. For everyone it is an invitation.

Here at Arrowhead we are passionate about inviting others just like Jesus. Jesus called many to follow Him for a time. There were 12 disciples that He called to follow Him for a specific time for a unique purpose. They walked (moment by moment) with Him for over three years. Jesus invited them to experience life with Him. That invitation included times of prayer, reading scripture, talking with people, sharing meals with others, solitude and silence. At Arrowhead we INVITE our campers and staff to experience camp life with us. As they experience camp life they also experience the same invitation that Jesus gave to His disciples - to follow Him.

One of our newest intentional spaces is a small cabin that we moved... to a secluded spot, nestled into a small clearing against the tree line of a wooded area. The photo above comes from a very good friend who recently spent a snowy day of solitude at the cabin.

November and a Year

I've been meaning to post a new entry on the blog for about two weeks. It has taken me until now because of some other urgencies and some procrastination (which absolutely drives me nuts).

The month of November (Nov. 1st) marks one year since we left for Syracuse with McKenna. The whole month of November and a few days into December were spent at University Hospital... on a journey that Kelly and I could never have imagined.

We went from a tiny cramped room, wondering what was happening to our baby to a wide open room in the Pediatric ICU, facing the certainty of death. Part of me has trouble thinking about the whole experience. I vividly remember snapshots that rattle me down deep, like when your body shutters in an effort to shake off the cold night air in the middle of winter. I find myself "day-dreaming" about the hospital, McKenna, our friends, family, doctors, difficulties, sleeplessness... only to realize that I'm driving in the car or sitting in the office and I have to remind myself that that was last year. It's the truest meaning of bitter-sweet. I would rather not think of the hospital or of McKenna with all her tubes or times we helped people say goodbye, but a significant part of McKenna's life was spent in that hospital. We spent so much "valuable" time together in such a short amount of days.

God continues to pour out His blessing on us. Through pictures of McKenna on refrigerators of friends, speaking engagements on suffering & ministry, continued contact with McKenna's doctors and nurses, encouraging letters & shared scripture, Natalie's innocent proclamations & prayers at dinner that she loves her sister McKenna who is in heaven, and the reality that the Almighty God and Creator of all things has firmly upheld us and created purpose in our suffering... we are blessed and we have joy.

I wrote a poem back in February two months after we returned home with McKenna. It's been on my heart and mind this whole month. Every time I read it, with sorrowful tears of determination my heart cries out, "Amen" (it is true). Every word, every line is the perfect representation of how God used my little McKenna Joy to impact my life.

[click the picture to enlarge]

Those Poor NY Kids.

Tuesday morning we woke up to several inches of snow... which accumulated on Tuesday evening to just over 6". It was a wonderful surprise, especially for Natalie. She immediate exclaimed, "Daddy it's snowing, we can go ice skating!" Of course, we didn't find any ice so we settled for building a snowman in the back yard. It was that heavy wet snow too... the kind that makes a massive snowball in less than 10 feet, leaving a trail of exposed grass behind it.

An early morning trip to town on Tuesday allowed me to see just how "weird" our overnight snow storm was. five minutes north of camp on the way to town there was nothing. The ground was just as bear as the day before... just wet now from all the RAIN! I couldn't believe it. A few miles back it was virtually a blizzard with heavy snow and high winds. People were staring at my car which had about three inches of snow glued to it.

From watching the news we found out that PA schools were closed from snow, high winds, fallen trees and downed power lines; while NY school kids braved the rain to get to class. At best it will only amount to a few days of "snow day bragging rights" with temperatures in the high 50's predicted for Friday.

A Fall Day Off

Monday was a great day off after a big weekend with the Shepherds Fall Retreat. We had a great day - hanging out, playing games, sharing all of our meals together. We also went up the road to the local apple farm. Their trees were all picked through but they did have a few bins of apples just outside their store front. Even though we were geared up for walking around picking from trees, picking from bins was an easy change of plans... especially on my day off. After purchasing our apples we poked around looking at their animals (3 goats and a chicken) and playing in their hay maze. It was simple, fun, and FREE. It was stacking up to be a really good day off.

I spent the afternoon reading a book while Natalie napped. Then we busted out the pumpkins for our annual pumpkin carving.

We talked about what kind of faces to draw on our pumpkins, then we tried some designs on paper to figure out exactly what we wanted. As I was drawing the face on the big pumpkin Natalie with a cute smile casually said, "Daddy you can pull out the seeds, I'm not going to put my hand in the pumpkin." Kelly and I looked at each other in amazement. We purposefully hadn't mentioned anything about reaching inside the pumpkin. Last year we had Natalie try it and she absolutely hated the whole experience. Apparently it left a lasting impression.
Natalie did put her hand in the pumpkin to help pull out the seeds and the goo, but now until we gave her a vinyl glove.

Nontheless we had a great time with the pumpkins. I also experimented with a new method of carving. I used my Dewalt 18v roto-zip. It was a little too effective. It made carving extremely easy, but it also liquefied the pumpkin spraying it here and there. All said and done though - we ohhhed and ahhhed at the final products all lit up.

Camp's New Website!

Arrowhead has a brand new look to the website. It's a better layout for the camp multi-camp structure AND it now has lots of pictures and videos. Here are some helpful links to the main page and other specific Arrowhead pages. Check it out!

Arrowhead Camping Ministries
www.arrowheadministry.org

Arrowhead Bible Camp
www.arrowheadbiblecamp.org

Shepherds Camp
www.shepherdscamp.org

Day Camp
www.abcdaycamp.org

The James Project
www.abcjamesproject.org

The James Project - on YouTube

DAY CAMP 2009!

2 Weeks of Day Camp!

That's right... we are expanding our Day Camp program for kids. This past summer we had over 100 kids each day for our one week program. God graciously provided and we were able to offer our Day Camp for FREE! It really was the "Camp for Every Kid."

It has been three months since that crazy week in July. Literally, moms and dads have been asking about Day Camp because their kids are still talking about the summer. As we look forward to this summer, with God's leading we are expanding the program.

This summer we will be offering 2 WEEKS of DAY CAMP!

Our vision is to continue to grow as the "Camp for Every Kid." We are also passionate about making BOTH weeks FREE! We would love to have you join us... make an impact by investing in our Day Camp for kids. You can be a vital part this "community based" ministry that brings kids to Arrowhead for a week to IMPACT them with the Word of God AND then sends them back into the community to be discipled, cared for, and loved year-round, by other ministries in our community who are like-minded and have the same passion to make disciples.

www.abcdaycamp.org

The James Project - Video

Here's an introduction to the James Project:

JAMES PROJECT - VIDEO

The JAMES PROJECT

The James Project is our NEW summer ministry for 2009.

This past summer we had several different groups that came to make an IMPACT here at Arrowhead. They each came for one week to serve in the kitchen, complete major projects, or work with our programs. They brought care packages for the counseling staff, remodeled rooms, renovated cabins, served in the kitchen, prepared special dietary meals, worked on landscaping, and ministered to campers alongside our program staff. Not only did they make a HUGE impact on the camp, our staff and our campers; but the experience of serving at Arrowhead made a HUGE impact on them. Multi-generational teams, small groups from student ministries, Moms, Dad's and their kids - dedicated themselves to serving God by serving others. They sacrificed their time, energy, money, and abilities as worship to God... which He used to impact lives AND to impact them.

This summer we are inviting groups just like these to camp each week to serve: in the kitchen, with our campers, and around the camp.

Our PASSION - is to partner with churches, families, student ministries, small groups, and individuals to impact lives with the truth of God's Word and make disciples like Jesus.

Our VISION - is for James Project groups to make an impact on the front lines, while discipling and investing in their students, team members, small group or family.

We've got a crazy summer ahead of us and I would love to talk to you about being a part of the James Project. Would you're church or student ministry be interested in this local missions trip to Arrowhead? How about your family? Our goal is to have at least one week dedicated to families who will serve together as a James Project group. You can set the tone for serving your students in fall. Build team unity or connect as a leadership team. Serve and grow as a family while discipling your children. Challenge your students to love and serve other like Jesus.

Give me a call or shoot me an email with any questions or ideas.
Ben Myers, 570.663.2419

Long Term Impact

While in Lancaster we had a big get together with many of our friends from "back in the day"... friends from Calvary Bible Church, high school, and the southern PA area. Joining us that evening were some very special friends who we had not seen in at least seven years. Jeff and Sue Ann Harbold were leaders in our student ministry at Calvary Bible Church during our high school days. Kelly and many of her friends knew the Harbolds from even earlier, through Calvary and Christian School of York. The seven year span of time was mostly due to the fact that Jeff and Sue Ann have been living and ministering in Thailand.

This big get together was being held at Rhoads' where we were spending the night. As the evening rolled on and friends said, "good night", the six of us (the Harbolds, Rhoadses, and Myerses) sat in the living room looking at pictures and bursting out in laughter as each of told stories from "back in the day".

Jeff brought up a memory of our student ministry trip to Haiti where we served alongside the Lippy family. Jeff asked me if I remember walking through one of the villages, turning to him and saying, "Isn't it amazing. God loves these little children from this village just as much as He loves you and I." Jeff looked right at me and said that he has spoken about that trip and the work God was doing in my heart many times since then. Wow! What an impact...on me, on Jeff, on people Jeff has talked with. Wow!

On the plane ride out to Seattle I mentioned to Kelly that I was starting to remember that comment that I made to Jeff...I had a pretty clear picture of the village we were walking through. Then I told Kelly about how Jeff was one of the first godly men who really impacted me as a young guy in high school. So, I shared one of my memories from back in the day.

At summer camp Jeff was our Sr. High counselor. During the week of camp Jeff told me (and a few of the other guys gathered around) that if we ever needed anything that he would be there for us. Then he wrote his name and phone number in my Bible. From our time at church and that specific week of camp, I knew he meant it. Jeff (and Sue Ann) has kept that promise. Even in Thailand they have been praying for our family over the past year... and thus, they have been a great support and encouragement to us. We praise God for the impact they have had on our lives.

Check out my Bible from back in the day:

A Real Vacation

Well, we are back at camp! We had a wonderful vacation after a good long summer season. We packed up and headed for southern PA for the first few days of September. I had some students that I wanted to connect with at Lancaster Bible College. Kelly, Natalie and I visited some staff alumni in the area. We were very eager to spend some time together with her family and some friends. I also had an evening prayer coffee that I wanted to attend at LBC.

From there just Kelly and I, flew from Baltimore, MD to Seattle, Washington. We zipped all the way out to the west coast to spent 10 days with our dear friends Dave and Michelle Parker. The Parker's had been full time at Rock Mountain Bible Camp up until last year when they moved to Seattle. Over the past five years the four of us have become very close. Our bound of friendship and ministry like-mindedness has been a great blessing from God. It was an exciting adventure to visit with them, to see what God was doing in and through them, and to see the west coast.

Our time in Seattle was long and short, relaxing and busy, quiet and noisy, difficult and easy. It was a blessing for me to disengage from camp...which I found to be surprisingly easy. It was difficult to be away from Natalie but at the same time it was fun to run around as a couple. The first few days made the whole trip seems as if we were not going to have enough time, but in the end it felt like just the right amount of days to be away. The three hour time change kind of threw us for a loop...but we handled it well by sleeping in a lot...a lot. We enjoyed tons of great food...tons. Kelly and I loved being in a port city. Kelly really loved it...I liked being there on vacation. It was fascinating to explore all the unique sections of town - upscale, downtown, the west side, the university district, and so on.

It was great being there with Dave and Michelle. It seemed like we were tourists with an inside edge. We saw a bunch of the foo-foo touristee things, but we also made it around to all the little known hidden places that made our trip special. We also had the exciting opportunity to attend Mars Hill Church (where Dave serves full time) each of the two Sundays we were out there. I am thankful to experience first hand, this church and ministry which has been a good source of spiritual fuel at camp over the past three or four years. In many ways Mars Hill is much like all other churches. It has some unique qualities, but those are a result of the culture and geographic location. The reason Mars Hill is moving forward - is that they are making disciples. They are creating (spiritually) healthy leaders, who create healthy people, who create a healthy church, whose (the church is the people) desire is to impact the city of seattle, making it healthy.

We had a great vacation! I am grateful for the time away to relax and prepare. I praise God that this vacation was not an escape to recover from summer ministry burnout. By God's grace we had a healthy summer of camp. Of course, we were tired and ready to stop, but we were not burned out and used up. Our vacation was a time of relaxation to prepare for the next season of ministry. As we settle back in to the "hustle and bustle" of Brackney, God continues to give us time of relaxation and renewal...preparing us for the fall and winter. We have retreats this month and next. After that is a short time of staff recruiting, turn around for winter temperatures, and preparation for a long season of winter retreats.

Thanks for keeping in touch, enjoy the vacation pictures...

You Know Summer is Over When...

Well, we've successfully made it through another summer of camp ministry. Today was the FIRST day since the beginning of June...that camp is completely quiet. There's no one here but the three of us. 10 straight weeks of ministry...calls for a little relaxation.


Stay tuned...

We're going to take a little vacation. When we get back, I'll recap the summer and tell you about our vacation. Thanks for keeping up with camp and our family. Thank you for supporting us in prayer through the summer.

DAY CAMP 2008!!!

Day Camp at Arrowhead was HUGE! We had over 100 kids each day. The schedule was jammed-packed with all sorts of camp activities and crazy fun. We were very excited to have Drama Ministry from Lancaster Pa back for another week of Day Camp. Once again, they made a great IMPACT on the program by providing dramatic presentations of the good news of Jesus Christ. Each morning the gospel came alive right in front of each camper. Then campers got to choose Drama class as an afternoon activity.

Each morning the campers rotated from Drama to Crafts to a special activity. The special activities included large group games, hay rides, and special guests. Our special guests this year were: our friends from the local Christian Motorcyclist Association who came to talk to the campers about motorcycle (bicycle) safety, the Ross Park Zoo Mobile with animals for the campers to see and touch, another friend from just down the road who taught a sign language class, and News Channel 34's meteorologist - Ryan Coyle. Following Ryan was a News Channel 34 camera man and reporter. You can check out the story at - www.newschannel34.com (click on "Summer Fun" - look for the Arrowhead Bible Camp story). We had a fantastic line up of special guests and activities. Then each afternoon campers could choose between the archery range, swimming and boating at the lake, bocce ball, games, and drama class. It proved to be a wild and crazy week of camp.

Our goal through Day Camp is to impact our community. First, we provide kids (and their families) with a safe and exciting program that is FREE! Then we structure the week to encourage, educate, challenge and care for each camper. All week long we invite the campers to experience camp with us (the staff) thus inviting them to experience Jesus Christ. When the week is over - all campers go home with a letter from myself and a boat load of stories to share with their family and friends. Some campers also go home to share something extra special - that while they were at Day Camp they heard about Jesus...and how He came to rescue them. Each and every camper who believes in Jesus Christ and puts their trust in Him to be rescued from their sin and separation from God is followed up by a ministry in their local community that is partnering with Arrowhead. These friends of Day Camp have accepted the call to disciple those campers, invest in their families, and invite each of them to experience God's love and forgiveness. We are excited to partner with like-minded ministries who seek to continue (year round) the loving impact we have started here at Day Camp. What a blessing!

Day Camp craft: canvas banners. The kids put down words on the banner using painters tape. Then they smeared paint all over the banner using their hands and feet. The paint dried. The tape was pulled off...and each group had its own banner. Then at the end of the week each banner was cut into squares - one for each camper to take home with them.



Another great craft: the campers really enjoyed these canvas cloth "bookbags" that they could decorate.
Each day we ate lunch outside, picnic style. On Thursday we had eight fire rings going...and each camper got to cook their own hot dog and s'more over the open flame.

A BIG "Thank You!" to everyone who invested in Day Camp at Arrowhead to make it the "Camp for EVERY Kid." What a blessing. Thank you.

Missions Trip to Arrowhead

The summer is moving right along. At least it feels that way now. Our first Shepherds Camp session (two weeks long) was...crazy, fun, tough, long, exhausting, dependent, successful, stretching, demanding, beautiful, eye-opening, and a GREAT BLESSING. We had 70 campers and 40 staff members. We also had a missions team from Calvary Bible Church of Hanover. It was exciting to see 14 people hop out of the van ready to SERVE and make an IMPACT. They did a great job ministering to our staff and the campers. Not only did they immerse themselves in the program, they also tackled a hefty remodeling project. Seen below is our - completely redone Long Cabin. It has NEW walls, ceilings, electrical wiring, bathroom fixtures, doors, windows, exterior paint, painted floors, bunks, and furniture!



The Calvary team was here for the second week of the session - which turned out to be a VERY difficult week...for everyone. Besides having a full program with tons of staff, a 24 stomach bug jumped from person to person. Most of the Calvary team became ill towards the end of the trip. It was definitely NOT an expected part of their impact here at camp. However, they served well, worked hard, and completed their objectives as a team. God hasn't promised us easy sailing BUT, He has promised us everything we need for life and godliness.

The Long Cabin looks GREAT and he staff and campers LOVED having this special missions team that came to Shepherds Camp just for them.

Revised Update

This is the first book I read as a young follow of Christ. I didn't know much about the Bible and I didn't know anything about who I was in Christ. BUT, I had just begun an intense discipleship relationship with my Youth Pastor and he asked me to read the first chapter.
I remember being so excited. As soon as I got home I broke it open and ate up that first chapter...with at least four different colored highlighters. Looking back at my copy, which still sits tall on my book shelf at home, I highlighted the whole chapter!

I recommend this to ANYONE and EVERYONE. I don't care who you are, how mature you are, how spiritual you are, how wise you are, or how much you don't like to read. I especially recommend it to anyone who is a new believer.

This book is a GREAT resource for anyone who desires to make disciples. Anderson and Park do a wonderful job of explaining our IDENTITY in CHRIST. The book is full of scripture, which makes for a tangible mind-to-heart connection for the reader.

This book will give you a great foundation for following Jesus.

We're in Full Swing!

Our first week of Shepherds Camp has begun and we are in full swing.

This is SUMMER...
#63 for Arrowhead Bible Camp.
#46 for the Shepherds Camp Program.
#8 for Kelly and I
#3 for Natalie (who turns 3 on July 11th!)

This week we have:
65 Campers
15 Counselors
3 Co-Counselors
7 Program Staff
11 Service Staff
6 Leadership Staff

Our youngest camper is: 23
Our oldest campers is: 88

DC Count Down

Day Camp Count Down
22 Days Left

Wow! Day Camp is just around the corner. We closed this year's Day Camp a few weeks ago...with over 100 kids signed up. What a blessing! All of the details are set for great week of camp. We even have some NEW special guests and activities planned for this year's program. You'll have to wait until after camp to find out the details. I can tell you one thing - Day Camp at Arrowhead is going to be a crazy, awesome, fun, exiting, challenging, caring, amazing, inspiring, connecting, encouraging, truth filled week of CAMP.

And get this...every kid has been fully supported - which means that Day Camp at Arrowhead truly is FREE!

That also means, that we have fulfilled our VISION - to be the "Camp for Every Kid!"

We would love to have you pray for us and our campers as we prepare AND during camp, July 21-25. We believe God is going to make a HUGE IMPACT on kids and families in our local communities. We would also love to hear from you - as you pray for Arrowhead and Day Camp. Keep in touch. Thanks to everyone who has invested in Day Camp. What a blessing. What an IMPACT!

Reject Blessings

We received an unexpected package in the mail yesterday. Unexpected because we forgot all about last year's surprise shipment. Unexpected because Kyle (whose mom works for Jelly Belly) is not serving here at camp this summer.
I opened the big white box trying to remember what the last thing was that I ordered online. I wasn't expecting a package, but here was one addressed right to the ministry. What a blessing I found inside...16 lbs. of Belly Flops (Jelly Belly rejects). A big, "Thank You!" to Mrs. Stewart. They will be thoroughly enjoyed.

[To Kyle's credit - he lives in California...and the last few summers he has flown out here to the east coast to serve at Rock Mountain and Arrowhead.]

DC Count Down

Day Camp Count Down
39 DAYS

Wow! Day Camp is almost here. We've got a ton of kids signed up AND they have ALL been fully supported by churches, families, and individuals. Thanks everybody. Arrowhead's Day Camp IS the Camp for EVERY Kid.

This past Saturday was our 4th annual FREE Picnic and Open House. It was a beautiful day with warm weather, clear skies, and almost a hundred people in attendance. It was our privilege to share a picnic meal and the camp facilities with our neighbors, camp friends, staff, Shepherds campers, Day Camp campers, and some new friends who wanted to check out Arrowhead.

And The TRUTH Shall Set You Free.

Last night as Natalie was getting ready for bed she decided to be disobedient in the process of going from brushing her teeth to sitting on her bed for story time (reading the Bible). Her disobedience immediately led to the consequence of a punishment. Then after some clear instructions, Natalie promptly headed into her room and hopped up on her bed for story time. We sat together as a family, opened up her new Bible and turned to the next story from the book of Genesis. As Natalie squirmed and shifted getting herself into just the right position Kelly and I glanced down at the Bible story and noticed the title.


After a somewhat held-back simultaneous chuckle Kelly read the title aloud, "Disobedience Brings Punishment."

Natalie looked at the Bible Story, looked up at us, and without hesitation said, "Let's not read that."

Now THAT was good for a laugh out loud. I'm sure you will agree, that children are both a blessing and a joy - especially in the unprompted things they say.
It's hard to tell what was going through Natalie's mind. Was she still feeling the effects of the consequences of her disobedience or was it God's Word piercing like a two-edged sword? A little bit of both I suppose.

More Hands!

Day Camp Count Down
69 DAYS

Things are going very well at the bookstore. When I last checked in a few days ago they had met their initial goal of supporting 15 kids. The wall behind the cash registers is growing with hands...all representing individuals who are making a great IMPACT at camp this summer. Day Camp is FREE...and those names on the wall are making it possible.

Don't forget - Saturday, MAY 17th - the bookstore will be having a huge sale all day AND a portion of the proceeds from the whole day will be given to Day Camp - "the camp for EVERY kid."

I know, some of you are saying, "But I don't live anywhere near the bookstore." Don't worry you can help send kids to Day Camp for free by simply sending an investment directly to the camp.

Who Likes the Circus More?

Every time the circus comes to town (or near by) Kelly is the first one to say, "Let's go!" For me, the circus is one of those things that I enjoy...once I'm there. This time though I was pretty eager for the experience because this was Natalie's first circus adventure.
Friday night after dinner we headed for town, excitedly talking about tigers and bears and elephants. We tried not to talk about such things as cotton candy, hotdogs. or expensive toys with internal spinning lights. We certainly didn't mention anything about clowns. Natalie's first "costume" experience was Sparky, the Awana 2nd grader's mascot. Sparky came walking out of the main building here at came just as Natalie was about to enter. Apparently, a 5' 7" giant lightening bug/bumble bee has a slightly overbearing presence among small children.
We had an absolutely enjoyable time as a family. Natalie loved every minute of entertainment. She was pleasant and obedient the whole time. She even liked watching the clowns (especially the ones that kept their distance). We steered clear of junk food and those crazy light up toys, of which I heard one dad exclaim, "This thing was 15 bucks!" To top off the evening, when I was at the ticket window a lady came up behind me and threw two free admission tickets on the counter and said, "Here you go. Two people bailed on me early today. I don't need these...enjoy." What a blessing!

Hands for Day Camp

Wow. Check out all those hands. Do they look familiar? Have you seen these hands before? Is your name on one of those hands?
Arrowhead Parable Christian Bookstore is making a huge IMPACT on Day Camp this summer. Just last week the bookstore began inviting costumers to make an IMPACT on our Day Camp this summer by INVESTING $1, $5 or $10 to help send kids to Day Camp for FREE! The pictures below are of hands placed on the wall behind the store registers. Each hand has a name on it...of someone who invested in Day Camp. After only a few days, 288 people have invested over $750. What a blessing!

But that's not all. On May 17th the bookstore will be having a HUGE SALE and a portion of the proceeds from the whole day will be given to Day Camp. So get to the store - to put up your hand AND to make the 17th a great success.

Our vision to make Arrowhead's Day Camp - "The Camp for EVERY Kid" is being accomplished. Stay tuned for Day Camp updates!

Serving God by Serving People

This past weekend we had a great retreat. A local group of ladies came in for a fun weekend of scrapbooking. For them, it was a retreat from their spouses, kids, routine schedules, daily chores, and the obvious lack of time for scrapbooking. They are one of our long term groups that is a pleasure to serve. Our greatest excitement is the opportunity to - clearly present the gospel of Jesus Christ AND then living out the gospel as we meet their basic needs. The Kerstetters, their daughter and two of her friends drove up from southern Pennsylvania to serve at camp for the weekend. They have been coming up to camp the past few years...making a big IMPACT on the ministry. This weekend was no different. They served in the kitchen, prepared food, cleaned bathrooms, and worked outside to get camp ready for the summer. They did a great job - the group was served well and the camp is looking more and more ready for camp to beginning. What a blessing to have them with us again...serving alongside us - Serving God by Serving People.

We're MISSIONARIES!

Staff are always listening to me talk about the MISSION of Arrowhead. From the moment they start serving at camp...they start hearing me call them MISSIONARIES. Camp really is a mission field and our staff are the missionaries. I'm not just talking about a short term missions trip. I'm talking about REAL missionaries who are SENT OUT! Our staff pack up all their stuff, leave their family, friends, and local church - to come here to camp for the summer. They pick up and move here to live. They eat here, sleep here, work here, serve here, grow here, hangout here. They come to live with a new people group...a new culture. They come to experience life (camp life) with the local culture (our campers). They in turn, invite the campers to experience camp with them and thus invite the campers to experience Christ.

If that's not a missionary...then who are those people "oversees" that your church is supporting?

Check it out. I was speaking with one of our local staffers who just got back from a missions trip to Mexico. This is what she had to say:

"On the first night that we arrived in Cancun our missions team was gathered around listening to the plan for our ministry to the week. While I was listening I realized that this felt a lot like camp! At the beginning of every week/weekend at camp we do the same thing. We all meet together, talk about the plan for the week, and pray together. God showed me that when we serve at camp we really are missionaries. So often I thought of working at camp as doing ministry, but not necessarily being a missionary. At camp, we serve God by serving people; in the village in Mexico we did the same thing. All of us who give our time to serve at camp are really missionaries ministering to the campers and showing them God's love."

Do you know some of the staff who will be serving at camp this summer? I challenge you to support them as you support other missionaries from your church/family. Pray for them, send them letters of encouragement, come for visit, mail them a care package, invest in their future. They need your support while they are on the mission field this summer.

It's an Explosion!

Day Camp Count Down
84 DAYS

It's like a Day Camp EXPLOSION! We are continuing to pull together resources, peoples, money, equipment, staff, and all kinds of odds & ends in preparation for Day Camp this summer (which is FREE). We have tons of volunteers from the community. We have a "knock your socks off" program that will challenge, encourage, educate, and care for our campers. We also have handfuls of individuals and families who are investing in Day Camp to help us make camp FREE!

Check it out:
Arrowhead Parable Christian Store has also caught the Day Camp FEVER. Shoppers can invest $1, $5, $10 (or more) at the registers...and a hand print will be placed up on the wall behind the counter. Each hand represents more individuals and families who are making Day Camp possible this summer.
Then, on MAY 17th - the bookstore is having a huge sale ALL day. A portion of the proceeds that day will be given to Arrowhead to support Day Camp!
So...get to the bookstore to see the hand prints and don't forget to stop by on May 17th for the sale.

Our Spring Retreat

Last weekend was our Shepherds Camp spring retreat. It was a great weekend all around. The weather was perfect...sunny in the 70's. The camp was packed full with campers, staff, volunteers, and new friends. We had all the classic camp activities - crafts, music class, Bible time, games, chapel, and tons of great food. With such nice weather we also had the opportunity to go on hay rides, have a picnic outside on Saturday, and play bocce ball on the new courts. The most exciting part of the weekend was meeting some new friends from Lancaster Bible College. HisStory, a new drama ministry from the college came up for the weekend as our special guests. They performed on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, presenting the gospel to our campers while also having a fun time with some crazy games and skits. They came into a new place with new people as a newly formed group...and they did a fantastic job. We also had a few NEW counselors - who came on staff specifically to serve at the retreat. Shepherds Camp continues to grow and it was a great blessing to have these new counselors serving with us. They were a vital part of a great weekend. As always, our Shepherds retreats are a fun opportunity to see reconnect with all of our camp friends for a weekend where Christ is the focus.

FREE! FREE! FREE!

FREE! FREE! FREE!

This summer we are offering our Day Camp Program for FREE!
God has given us a great passion to be "The camp for ALL kids!"

Our goal is to see at least 100 kids come through our doors for Day Camp. We've got an amazing program that encourage, educate, challenge, and care for kids in our local communities. The most important part of Day Camp...is the good news of Jesus Christ. We are anticipating another great program with Drama Ministry of Lancaster. God used them in a mighty way to PRESENT, TEACH, and SEND our campers back home with Gospel.

We are talking and sharing with many churches, businesses, and individuals in the community - asking them to send kids to Day Camp for free. The financial support is coming in and we are excited to climb the ladder to 100 kids attending camp for FREE this summer!

We would love to have you make an IMPACT this summer by investing in our Day Camp program. Send a kid (or a bunch of kids) to Day Camp this summer.

What an Encouragement

Last weekend we served a group of college students from Cornell University. Throughout their retreat the students drop encouraging notes to other students in their bags placed around the game room. The group made a "staff" bag and at the end of the weekend they gave it to us as an encouraging thank you.

Check it out: you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Do You See It?

This morning Natalie said to Kelly, "I don't like the man. I don't like him." With a puzzled look Kelly asked, "What man?" "The man in my bedroom. I don't like that man." Natalie said.

It's one of those times as a parents (or perhaps just as a dad) when you're not sure if you have a dilemma. Is this really an issue? What if she doesn't sleep at night? What if she has nightmares? I certainly don't like the idea of that. Can I cover it with a towel? I can't hack saw the thing off of there...we're borrowing the bed from our close friends.

It's kind of cute and serious at the same time.

Errowhead Eggrolls

We had our first retreat of the new year (and the winter season) this past week. The group has a crazy schedule and we only serve them breakfast and snack...so, I did the cooking for the weekend. I decided to try a new recipe that I had over Christmas. I'm happy to report that my Egg Rolls were a hit. The campers ate them as fast as I could make them and send them out to the line.

Check out the Arrowhead Recipe Book
(click on the link to right, in the blue box).