Our Amazing Counselors

We are now in our 4th week of Camp Heaven. I'm not there as much as I was last year, so I'm not in on how everything is going, but I try to visit as much as possible. During these visits, I've really been struck by the work our counselors are doing. I've watched them as they've loved and led the children, and seen them exhibit amazing levels of patience, compassion, and excitement for the Lord and what He's doing within the hearts of our children.

So I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you a little more about these counselors, and ask you to pray for them. Their names are:

Kati L. (11-13 girls; Kati has been a counselor several times, and will be joining us on staff in the fall)

Katie K. (7-8 girls)

Christina K. (5-6 girls)

Vivian M. (5-6 girls)

Ruth T. (9-10 girls)

Carolyn T. (9-10 girls)

Leah A. (9-10 boys)

Jeremy T. (5-6 boys; Jeremy is a returning counselor, he was with us last year, too)

Jason K. (7-8 boys; Jason was also a counselor last year, and will be joining us on staff in the fall)

Jeff K. (9-10 boys; Jeff will be joining us on staff in the fall)

Andy M. (11-13 boys)

All of them (minus Andy & Leah, who are full-time staff) are college students or recent graduates, and have given up their summer vacation to come serve the children of Little Lights. They are here for 9 very busy weeks - 2 weeks of intense training followed by 7 weeks of camp.

Camp, in addition to being a ton of fun, is an extremely intense and often exhausting experience for the counselors. They each oversee a group of about 10-12 students. Their job includes preparing small-group lessons, leading field trips (museums, the zoo, etc.), supervising weekly trips to the swimming pool and Six Flags, helping with math & reading, and more. They are required to be teachers, disciplinarians, encouragers, organizers, and on and on. The amount of work they do is, quite simply, astounding, and they get very little recognition in return.

Please pray for these counselors. Praise God that He laid it on their hearts to come to Washington, DC this summer and work with the children of Little Lights. Praise Him for the gifts they bring to us and the incredible blessing of love and support they give to our children. Pray fervently that they find sufficient rest and time with the Lord so that they do not experience burn-out or discouragement. Finally, pray for us as staff, that we are sensitive to their needs and find ways to ease their burdens.