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Winnipeg, MB – I started off the summer season by returning to ICYA after my winter sabbatical. The last several years have been challenging navigating COVID restrictions, dealing with flooding and forest fires, so it was great to have the opportunity to completely unplug from the camp program and have a sabbatical period to just be still and recharge. We spent a month in Colombia at a farm owned by one of my Inner City Youth Alive coworkers. We enjoyed soaking in the warmth and beauty, had some great adventures in the community and were well taken care of by our hosts. It was a bit of an unknown for us to head out there, but God knew what we needed. I returned feeling refreshed and ready for summer number 16 at Gem Lake.
Our camp team moved up to Gem Lake at the end of June and spent 9 days together before the campers arrived preparing for the summer program. We set up camp, got to know each other, practiced skits for Mini-Church, learned about safety procedures, trained new staff on boat driving and other camp skills, and spent time praying for the campers, each other, and the program. God provided us with an amazing camp staff team this summer. We work well together and have grown close in the few short weeks we have been working together.
Our first week of camp was the younger boy’s week and the energy was cranked up to 11. They were amazing singers in Mini-Church and had some good questions about our theme for the summer which is “Who are you?” We ask a different question each Mini-Church, such as “Are you created or random?” “Are you free or are you a slave?” “Are you saved or are you lost?”
Over half of our cabin leaders are youth from our community. Most don’t have a church family able to help support them financially during the summer. Minimum wages have gone way up and the student grants that we have received in past years have gone way down, so the amount that our camp staff needs to raise is way bigger than it has been in past years. If you would like to help support our cabin leaders, you can go to https://www.icya.ca/staffteam and scroll down to the “Gem Lake Camp Team” section.
Our summer is going very well but we have already had several experiences that made us feel as though we were under spiritual attack. I guess it is to be expected that the dark will push us back when we have a team so excited to spread Jesus’ light. Pray for protection for our campers and staff. We have 6 more camps to go and are excited to see what God will do during that time.
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. I remind our staff often that we are not just a small team of camp leaders alone on an island. We have an army of people who have our backs and are praying for us. Thanks for being part of our army.
Gem Lake Wilderness Camp, Director (Inner City Youth Alive)
Home church: Nassau Street Church, Winnipeg Manitoba
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