Chicken Shwarma

Ok. So the picture doesn't have anything to do with this post, but I
just wanted to mention how amazing dinner was tonight. I eat better up
here at Wildwood than I do at home. We had Chicken Shwarma with
amazing rice, pita, tzatzuki sauce, & hummus for dinner. It was great!
Tonight we're going to experience the story of Luke Everett, who runs
a ministry to deaf children in Mexico. I've heard a little of the
story and it's amazing! I can't wait to see how everything unfolds
tonight.
Check out www.hearingeverett.com to
see what's going on up here tonight.

New Wildwood T-Shirt

So Tonya was just talking about her lack of drinking water yesterday
and that she's drinking more today and feels much better. She then
came up with a great slogan for a new T-Shirt! Are you ready........?
"Hydration: It's Not Overrated"

Safari Adventure!

We just did the ropes course and April not only did the entire thing,
but she did the balance beam BACKWARD!

KP is so fun!!!

All of Tonya's tent is helping. None of them are complaining at all.
(well, when they arrived, they didn't seem exited about getting up
early, but now that they've started, they're doing great)
Krystyl cleaned off all the tables.

KP Queen!

Tonya's having a great time setting up tables for breakfast.

KP Duty

So one of our tents has KP this morning. Here are a few pictures of
them helping to prepare breakfast for the rest of the camp.

Persecution!

So last night was our "Persecuted Church" night. We had a simulation
of what it might be like in a country where Christianity is illegal.
Many countries are just like this. There are many countries today
where Christians are being arrested and even murdered because of their
devotion to Christ.
Our students were split up into groups of 3 or 4 and sent to find the
"hidden church service." Along the way, there were "persecutors" who
stopped them and acted as police who were looking for Christians. Once
they arrived, our church service began, but was suddenly "raided" by a
military-type group.
It's not really possible to fully describe what it was like, but our
students definitely responded positively. Many talked about how it
helped them to realize how great our religious freedoms here in
America really are.
In all - Monday was a great day. A wonderful start to our week here at
Wildwood.
Today we'll be studying Philippians 2:9-10 in our "Solo Time." Our
students are also being encouraged to memorize Romans 12. I would
encourage all our parents to try and memorize it as well. How great
would it be if we had students and their parents together studying and
memorizing Scripture. It would be a real encouragement to your student
if when they got home, you could quote Romans 12 (yes, the entire
chapter) for them. I'm working on it myself. Currently, I've got. The
first 2 verses down, so I've got quite a few more verses to go. But
it's only Tuesday. Plenty of time to get the rest.
Thanks for your prayers. Keep praying for our students. They're all
having a great time so far.
Breakfast will be in about an hour, then our day is off and running

More to come...

Plunge This!

So two of our students got the "Golden Plunger" Award the first night
of camp! Leah Freeman and Alex Bowlin both exhibited servanthood
during their activities this morning! The recipients are chosen by the
staff. I'm proud of these students!

Dinner...

Tonight we had Carne Asada for Dinner.

Hi Mom! (and Dad)

Rockstar in Training

Some choose to practice the guitar in the hope of one day being a
famous musician! ;--)
(That's Tonya in the background)

Game time!

So the afternoon free time up here is quite laid back. No rushing
around. Just hanging out. Some people go for a hike, some swim, some
play board games, etc.

Library Tent

So we do somethig different each morning for our activity. Today, our
"tribe" had the Library Tent.
We did a word study on persecution and put together a presentation
about the idea that we, as Christians should expect persecution and
that we should react with love, following several exhortations in
Scripture, including Romans 12:14.
Other tribes did a work project, and the ropes course.
We're in free time now, so I'm relaxing, having some peach tea
(Crystal Light), and hanging out with the students.

Mucho agua!

You can be assured that, if nothing else, we're staying hydrated here
at Wildwood. The water here is all mountain spring water and tastes
great!!! No need for bottled water.

The calm before the breakfast

It's such an amazing place up here. Definitely the place to meet with
God. The picture above is where we'll all be having breakfast in about
an hour or so (hard to say since the schedule invisible to us).
Our memory passage for this week is Romans 12 (yes, the whole chapter)
I know of at least one student who is already working on it. Each
morning, one of the four teams will go to the Library Tent to study a
section of The passage and prepare a presentation of that passage for
later in the week.
Have I mentioned that I love this camp? Check the website (www.humelake.org
) and go to the Wildwood section to see their core values. Everything
they do here is planned with the core values in mind.
The theme this year is "LIFT." It's a missions & evangelism theme. It
totally fits in with where we want to go with the HSM at Immanuel.
Have I mentioned how much I love this camp?
Okay, well I'm off to get ready for the day. They'll be blowing the
conch soon and the camp will start to stir. Then, an amazing breakfast
and our "solo time." Our students will be going through Philippians
2:9-17 this week during solo times. Read & study along with us if you
like. This morning, we'll be reading the entire book through. Then
going back and reading again, looking for ocurrences of the word
"Gospel" and the meaning & context of each use.
Join us.

Early Morning Runners Club

So these guys got up way early, long before the conch, to go for a
run. I passed them on my way to get some coffee thinking pretty much
the entire camp would still be asleep. Apparently I was incorrect.

Pizookie !!!!!

There is nothing else to say...

Pizookie!!!

Ben and Tonya are helping with the Pizookie preparations!

We made it!

After a nice drive and a beautiful hike up to the camp, we're all
checked in and settling in to our tents. Dinner (and the amazingly
delicious Pizookie) is soon to come. I'm sitting in the Kitchen Tent
relaxing and enjoying the smells of dinner being prepared.
It's so great to be back. Of all the camps I've been to through the
years, this is definitely the best!
I'm ready for a great week. Be praying for us that we grow according
to Philippians 1:9-11. The students will be going through Philippians
an focusing on 2:9-18 if yiu want to follow along with us.
More to come.
(P.S. - special thanks to Rich, the director of the program, who set
it up so I could post and keep y'all posted as to what's goin' on
while we're here at Wildwood)

Yes Dad, I'm using my crutches.

Tyler, our knee surgery patient is using his crutches. I did have to
remind him, but he's been using them ever since!

At last! Lunch!!!

We're in Visalia on the ever-popular Prosperity Lane. I'm at Sonic
waiting for my delicious meal to be accompanied by a large Cherry-
Limeade. Life is good.

The view

So this is our view for about 80% of the drive. We're about to stop
for lunch. This means....... SONIC!!!
I eat Sonic twice a year. On the way o and from Hume.

The Amazig Doug

Doug the amazing bus driver. I think Doug has taken us to camp every
year since year 2! I love Doug. He gets us there quickly & safely and
when he's at the wheel, I don't have to worry about anything. Well,
there was the one time he pulled out and left me at a gas station, but
he realized it about 100 yards down the road and pulled over to let me
in. (we won't talk about the time when I was an intern and actually
left the youth pastor behind on a trip. That's a story for another time)

First Stop

So our favorite rest stop was closed!!! For the first time in 7 years,
we didn't stop there. We had to stop at a Mobil station instead. I'd
tell you where, but nobody seems to know where we are. Somewhere over
the grapevine.
More to come...

And we're off!!!!

After signing everyone in and doing the health screening (and one
student cutting it closer than ever - he was a minute away from
getting left) we're off and away!

The calm before the storm

So things are about to get chaotic (but a good chaos). The first
person to arrive is Ben Johnson. Ironically, he was also the first to
sign up.
So we're almost ready to depart! Be praying Philippians 1:9-11 for the
students this week.

Coming soon to a Grammar Check near you!

How many weeks was it again?

Great Concert!

Do You Know Jesus?

Homecoming Concert

Our students sharing at the Homecoming Concert.

Aloha & Mahalo!

So we're back and I can say without a doubt that everyone had an
amazing time on our trip.
• On Hawaii - it's definitely all it's cracked up to be. We got to go
to some amazing beaches, went through the mountains, through a
beautiful valley, visited Pearl Harbor, did some shopping, went
snorkeling, & hiked up to the rim of a volcano. Simply amazing!
• On Ministry - we got to minister to over 50 children and saw four
of them express belief in the Gospel!!!
It was fruit a blessing to minister alongside Pastor John, Mikey, &
Shell. We got to sing & lead worship for Kalihi Baptist Church, at
Kalihi Valley Homes, a shopping mall, and at a beautiful bandstand in
a beach park.
I'm so proud of our students. They planned and carried out their own
Backyard Bible Club. They didn't use a curriculum we gave them. They
built it from the ground up ON THEIR OWN!! I'd put these students up
against the students in any ministry in the country.
• On Community - it was also great to be together ministering &
playing. Our students definitely grew together. Simply being together
for a week was great. Add doing ministry together to that and you have
something that definitely brought us closer together as a community of
believers.

"Mahalo" to Immanuel, all the parents, and others who supported this
trip. And definitely don't miss the Homecoming Concert this Wednesday,
June 24 @ 6:00. It's going to be a great time of worship. All the
students are headed to Citrus Plaza together after the concert to just
hang out.

P.S. - don't forget to check out the video blog as well: immanuelswc.com

LAX!!

We're home (well, almost) Doug is 2 minutes away. Then we're en route
I Highland!

Just made it!

So we definitely cut it close getting on the plane. We did make it
with time to spare, but only about 10 minutes to spare.
But all is well and we're all buckled in and ready to take off. It was
an amazing trip. Everything went great. I can't wait for the
Homecoming Concert this coming Wednesday at 6:00. We'll have some
great video from the trip, the music we performed, testimonies, and
more. Definitely don't miss it.

Farewell to Indiana Jones

So our "Indiana Jones" van is about to be returned. We've had a great
time driving around the island in our big van and avoiding the giant
rock-ball every day. So we're heading to the airport now!

Last Meal

Ellen finally ate more than two bites during her last meal at the U of
H!

Hey! You! Get down from there!

Some of these students just won't obey the rules. [or can't read the
signs;-) ]
I'm buy going to have to send him home.

The View from the top

The short, 40 minute hike up was soooo worth it. The view from up here
at the top of Diamond Head is amazing!

Flying!

If you catch the wind right, you can fly! (but no shortcuts! They
cause erosion)

Last adventure

Some of us are hiking Diamond Head. Others are doing some last minute
shopping. Then: off to the airport.
Definitely sad to have to leave on several levels.
More pictures to come from the top. It's amazing from up there.

Dinner at Zippy's

So we had dinner at Zippy's coming back from the North Shore. If you
combine Baker's and CoCo's, you have Zippy's. We weren't able to order
an hour early, so we just had to settle for regular menu items.

Waimea Bay

So our last beach adventure took us to Waimea Bay. It's one of the
major surfing beaches on the North Shore. In the Summer, there aren't
any waves, but the swimming & jumping were great. There's a huge rock/
cliff to jump off into the water. A fantastic time was had by all.
Now, off to dinner!

I will NOT negotiate!

Larry "the voice of Immanuel" Wheeler reads Kyle's letter of response
to the Hat-Nappers...

Tearful goodbyes

It's definitely hard to say goodbye to these children that we've spent
all week getting to know. We've truly come to love them. We'll be
praying for them. Pray that they all go to VBS at Kalihi Baptist
Church in a couple weeks.

Amen!

Andrew & Alex are leading our final, closing prayer after sharing the
Gospel with the children.

Final Bible Story

Andrew & Alex share the Gospel today during our final hour with the
children.

Ninja!

So the students invented a new game called "Ninja." it was a hit with
the children.

The Creepiest Puppet Ever

So in the apartment where one of our groups is doing their BBC we
found this puppet. It's definitely one of the
Most disturbing things I've ever seen!

Stephen & friends

We've definitely come to really love these children this week.

We have a mystery!

Someone has taken Kyle's hat hostage and delivered a ransom note. He
is currently heading up an investigation into who has kidnapped his
loved one.
He's taking a hard line "non negotiation with terrorists" position.

A Yummy dinner

The sign had better be accurate!

Post Concert

Concert went well. It's hard to count, but there were between 50 & 75
that came & heard.
We gave out several prizes and after the concert, the students went
out into the crowd to meet the people & talk with them.