“For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,
of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
(Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
From sewing to serving food and from weld prep to archery, a day in the life of a SOWER!
We came to New Life Ranch-Flint Valley in Colcord, OK because they had a special request in the SOWER Project Listing Sheet: “Public School Outdoor Ed. will be onsite. Needs: Dish Pit Managers, Kitchen and Dining Hall Assistants, Target sports Facilitators, Fishing Class Teachers, Drinking Water Distribution, Housekeeping.” This camp, as well as other camps we’ve worked, invites public schools for a few days’ “Wilderness Experience.”
A Wilderness Experience is an opportunity for city kids to learn how to canoe, fish, shoot a bow and arrow, or toss a tomahawk. They go on nature walks in the woods to learn about the out doors. These are students in a secular school district so there is no witnessing to the students or talking about God.
What is the purpose of the Wilderness Experience at a Christian camp? As one student asked Bruce when finished with the archery practice “Can I do this again?” To which Bruce replied “You certainly can! Come back next summer to summer camp!” Those summer camps DO have a Christian emphasis and the students learn more about the outdoors AND Christ. This current opportunity gets them excited to return!
This method of introducing these kids to an outdoor experience and eventually God has had significant success. Many of the ~1200 students we will see in these first two weeks of our project will return next summer! And, they will return again and again, many come to know the Lord, many return as camp staff and many continue in full-time ministry to reach others for Christ.
A SOWER life is not all wood, screws, repairing, sewing, cleaning, or painting! One never quite knows what will be asked of them to do. But we do know that no matter what we do, we are serving Him! And He blesses us with new friendships, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and the opportunity to see Him work in our and others’ lives.
🤠🤗
(This week’s Blessings, Prayer Requests, and Schedule are here)
5 Responses
Where’s the picture of Bruce doing archery? 🙂
For some reason the header picture never shows up in the email notification. I’ve never been able to figure out why. I’d like to fix that if possible. Perhaps someday! 🤠
Great article! Can I put that in my newsletter?
I wish you would share this experience with Stephanie for the newsletter.
Love this! What a wonderful opportunity!