Superhero Challenge

As our summer theme was superheroes, we created our own to embody the characteristics we looked at each night. Our Art Director, Val, made masks and capes and during worship each night they made their appearance.

Welcome Warrior--Acceptance
Doctor Discipline--Self-Control 

General Grit--Perseverance

Helpful Heart--Kindness

Brave Beast--Courage

Then on Thursday afternoons we held the Superhero Challenge--a relay race for all camper groups on campus. The relay "baton" was the cape and mask that would be passed off for the 15 stations. At each station there were supplies for 1 or 2 people to complete the task. If only 1 person was needed, that person had to have both the cape and the mask. If 2 were needed, one would wear the cape and one the mask. Divided into superhero teams, they did things like 3-legged race, Holy Water Transfer, potato sack race, wheel barrow race, tp roll, hula hoop, and so many more:

Go and Use your Powers for Good

Our send-off theme was "Go out into the world and use your powers for good". We went over (again) that we all are superheroes, that we have these superpowers (and many more) and that now we are to go back home and use them for good in the world. All of these powers take practice and often we need help from others to use them. We know that we are not alone. I then played a message from Kid President about being a hero since I couldn't get him to come to camp :)

Our verse at worship was Philippians 4:13. We repeated it in pieces and as a whole. Then stood up, posed in our best superhero poses, and said in unison, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!"

Back to Africa!!

I'm headed back again! The well installation season for Marion Medical Mission starts September 18th with 23 volunteers. They will be in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania for 3 weeks getting a great start on the 2,500 wells we plan and hope to install this year. Team 2 (the team I'm on with 20 volunteers) comes in October 9th to complete the installations...mostly complete them anyway, as the Malawian, Tanzanian and Zambian staff continue to install wells until the rains start...Thus last year in 2015, there were 2,678 wells installed!

September and October is when Marion Medical Mission installs wells because it is the end of the dry season and thus the water table is at its lowest point. The rest of the year there should be water in the well since there is water at the time of the installation.

Now, though, after 2 years of drought, the water table is very low. The people are hungry because there hasn't been a good harvest in those 2 years. So Marion Medical has expanded to help with food distribution in addition to clean water wells. MMM is in a unique position to be able to help effectively.

Please pray for this mission and if you feel lead to donate, do!
~~$400 pays for a well that helps an estimated 150 people have access to clean water

~~$20 pays for a 110 pound bag of maize that will feed a family for a month through the famine

~~$$ any amount can be donated to MMM for wells or food, or can be donated to me to help me cover the costs of the trip.

Peace and love to you!

Perseverance

Perseverance was the theme for Day 4. Perseverance is the quality of continuing to try even though things are difficult. To not give up. To work at something over and over even when you want give up. Jesus told a story about prayer in Luke 18: 1-8. A widow who was seeking justice went to the judge. This judge did not fear God or respect others and sent her away. She came back until the judge decided to give her justice so she would stop bothering him.

What would have happened if the widow had stopped after the first denial? or even the third? She had to persevere-continue to try even with the challenge of the difficult judge. She wanted what was right, justice which is often bigger than one person. She is not asking for a selfish thing but for right. And in the end, due to her persistence, justice is rewarded even though the judge still doesn't care.

We often try things that are hard. Things that we might want to give up on. Things that we won't be good at until we work at it, practice over and over. Perseverance keeps us trying, helps us to get better. If we stopped doing things because they were hard or we weren't good at them the first time, our lives would be smaller. When we persevere, we have feelings of accomplishment that help us to persevere the next time we try something hard(er) or bigger than before.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Oprah Winfrey was told she would never be a presence in front of the camera. Hard work and perseverance took them to great heights. What great heights await us?