Top Ten: Summer 2014 at Camp Bellevue

The months of May, June, July, and August are very busy for us here at Camp Bellevue. We are preparing to enter this busy season once again -- in fact after we get back from our family vacation, it'll pretty much be non-stop until the last week in August! As I recap last summer, I am reminded of all the ways we got to watch God work in and through Camp Bellevue last year. And I look forward to watching Him work in and through us and many others who will be coming to the camp this summer!

Here are the Top Ten from Summer 2014 at Camp Bellevue:

1) Let's Start Talking Teams -- We had two last year. One worked with the Atuntaqui Church of Christ, and the other with the Otavalo Church of Christ. We enjoyed having them and getting to know them, and we praise God for the fruit of some of their studies, including several baptisms at the Atuntaqui Church.

2) Wrapping up the After-School Program -- We ended the year by taking the kids on a field trip at the end of June. We took them to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2," then followed that with a picnic lunch a playtime at a local park.

3) Lots of visitors! -- I don't have pictures of everyone, sadly, but will try to mention all of our individual visitors by name. Dwight Albright and Randy Curtis (from the Park Avenue Church of Christ in Memphis) came for about a week to visit and see our ministry. Also Rusty and Martha Bolton, grandparents of a good friend who worked in Quito for awhile with a church-planting ministry called Extreme Nazarene. John Todd Cornett and his family came from Amarillo, Texas and spent a week helping to build a playground in the community. Jon and Brenna Camp, along with their two sons, spent a few days at the camp, and we so enjoyed getting to know them.

Dwight and Randy

Rusty and Martha

The Cornett family

4) A few fun "touristy" activities sprinkled in as we showed our visitors around, including seeing the changing of the guard at the presidential palace in Quito, zip-lining in Mindo, the Quito Zoo, climbing Mojanda, and seeing traditional dancers:

Alex on Mt. Mojanda

Traditional Ecuadorian dancers

5) Our summer intern -- Yajira spent a month as an intern at Camp Bellevue. She was a joy and a delight to have around, and she helped in so many capacities -- including in the kitchen, as a translator, and she even babysat our kids on occasion. I love the below picture of her with some of the kids who came to our VBS program:

 6) Playground -- this was a service project we did for a community in Tabacundo. Various people helped fund it, and as visitors came and went over the summer, they helped out with the actual building as they were able. The picture below shows the playground nearly completed.

7) First ever Family Mission Trip -- In July, we hosted the first (hopefully annual) Family Mission Trip at Camp Bellevue. We had about 40 participants, primarily from 3 of our supporting churches. About half of the participants were children. The idea was to create an opportunity for families to serve together and for parents to expose their children to missions in meaningful ways. We combined a VBS program for kids in the community in the mornings with a medical clinic in the afternoons.

Grocery shopping for the Family Mission Trip -- 8 carts full, and then we went to the market to buy fresh fruits and veggies!

Group picture in front of the Pisulí Church of Christ, where we did a one-day project

VBS in a local park near the Pisulí Church

 8) Vacation Bible School -- We hosted a 5-day VBS at the camp for kids in the community. By the end of the week, we were up to nearly 200 children in attendance!

Singing and worship time

Games -- human pyramids

A local potter did a demonstration for our "Jeremiah and the Potter" lesson. Then each of the kids got a lump of clay to mold.

9) Medical clinic -- Afternoons at the camp during the Family Mission Trip. We also took the show on the road for a couple of days and did a medical clinic at a church in Ibarra, about an hour away.

Dr. Jason with a patient

10) Youth Camps -- Two weeks in August are given over to youth camps. The camp operates at full capacity these two weeks -- nearly 200 people! The cabins are packed, the kitchen staff works 12-14 hour shifts, and sometimes we have to truck in water to keep up with demand! But seeing hearts drawn closer to Jesus makes it all worth it. And after all, it is why were here! The video below is of the singing class that is offered during the second week of camp. Sylvia Rivers, a voice teacher from the States, has been coming and doing these singing classes with the youth for several years now. She teaches them to sing in 4-part harmony. It is truly amazing what she can accomplish with these kids in just a week. Listen and be blessed!

Dishes for 200 people