SARAH'S RED LETTER DAY

Tomorrow we finish what has been a wonderful week at Seneca Hills Bible Camp in Pennsylvania, where we have had daily opportunities to share about missions in general and Haiti in particular. The food has been top-notch, the scenery gorgeous, the counselors enthusiastic ... and our kids exhausted.  

Caleb, Hannah and Samuel have had the pleasure of being campers and mixing in with the other kids here, living in the cabins and playing all the crazy games.  At the beginning of the week, Sarah was quite sad that she was not going to be a camper herself. (Apparently she didn't comprehend that "Junior High Camp" meant only junior high kids could be campers.)  She couldn't believe that she was going to be left out, sleeping in the guest room with mom and dad, unable to join ALL the activities.

It didn't take her long, though, to realize that she still got to do a lot of great things right alongside the big kids.

She has spent time in the pool...



And enjoyed all the wonderful meals (like this giant sandwich our first night)...



And she's even formed a couple of sweet friendships with other kids in the same boat!



And a little extra time with Dad -



And mom - hasn't been all that bad!



PLUS, she's done a few things the big kids DON'T get to do.  Like rollerblading in the chapel while mom and dad get things ready for a presentation about Haiti.



And she has gotten to spend WAY more time in the craft barn than ANY camper.  This is her happy place, for sure.

But Tuesday proved to be the greatest day of all!

First, Sarah got to climb the rock wall. She made it to the top and rang the bell!



Fearless!

Then it got BETTER.

Next came the zip-line.  The starting platform is from the back of the rec center.



Daredevil in flip-flops!

Then the day got WAY BETTER, with the start of the greatest adventure of all.

In the evening, a traveling ministry team from Florida put on a martial arts demonstration. These high school students and their youth pastor included a lot of physical humor and personal testimonies of coming to faith in Christ. At the end of their presentation, the youth pastor issued an invitation to the campers to yield their lives to Christ...

And Sarah was among those who responded! Melissa and I had the chance to speak with her about it later and it was the "real deal" - She has believed in her heart and confessed with her mouth. She has a clear understanding of the concept of her own sinfulness and her personal need for a Savior and I have no doubt this was the working of the Holy Spirit.  

In conversation afterward, Sarah was particularly concerned about a recent growing tendency toward lying and Melissa was able to assure her of God's forgiveness and grace.  

We are overjoyed and thankful for this new beginning and pray that her life will bear much spiritual fruit in the years to come. 

We couldn't ask for a better outcome for our week at camp and we are praising the Lord for bringing our family to this place!

We often refer to Sarah as our "princess", but now she is indeed a princess - the adopted daughter of the King. Thank you, Lord Jesus!