http://www.mpaustin.org/camp_nikos/blog en noell.alley@gmail.com Copyright 2009 2009-06-22T00:54:08+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/camp_nikos_2009_wrap_up/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/camp_nikos_2009_wrap_up/#When:00:54:08Z Sorry to be posting so late - the last days of camp are full and crazy. Then, truthfully, we slept...and the week got away from us. Thank you so much for your prayers - God is not hindered by time, and we are grateful! Please keep HEB camp in your prayers as it begins next weekend! -- Friday was both a good and crazy day. We spent any extra time we had on Friday filling up about 2500 water balloons for the last big event of the week. After thematics, we told the kids that they had one last challenge – hit as many leaders as they could with water balloons. In past years it has been everyone in one spot, but this year we broke it up and had the girls in one spot and the guys in another. The leaders were given a handful of balloons and sent to the middle of a field, and the campers were given free reign with the rest of the balloons in their buckets. It ended up working out great, many were soaked, many were hit and everyone had a fantastic time. The competition between the girls and the boys (during their daily challenges) came down to the last night. The boys were up by one coming into the evening and ended up pulling away to win by 4. The ladies were very gracious loosers and showed incredible character by applauding for the boys (that was big for sure!). But through the week, we made it clear that while races can be about how fast or how strong you are as a team, it’s much more about HOW you run – and running well. There was a prize at the end of the night – a glow stick bracelet for everyone, because as a whole, the whole camp ran well. The last night is usually a difficult one. Kids put their ‘game faces’ back on and fight break out on the boys side and the girls just quit listening. This year, there was much less drama the last night. The night service went a little long with not only campers getting to dance with Light Lady, but the leaders were brought up as well. The kids enjoyed watching their leaders have fun, and it was great for the leaders to be able to cut loose and be encouraged by the blacklight fun. On top of Mr. B (Ed Baptiste, our speaker for the week) being a special guest during Light Lady (we noticed his moves at the back of the room earlier in the week and begged him to share with the whole group), he was able to speak to these kids one last time before praying a blessing over them before sending them to bed. We asked that the leaders take the campers back to their tents/cabins and pray with them as a family and then individually. Several staff members walked around to make sure all was well during the last night. Every thing went very smoothly, and most of the kids after praying headed to bed (though some were more giggly than others). To end, we wanted to share a story of one little girl who had a very serious question that last night. Almost a year ago, this precious little girl experienced something that no little girl should ever have to go through. Thankfully, she told her mom, charges were pressed, and the perpetrator was put in jail. But still, this precious child didn’t have peace, even almost a year later. Because, you see, she had heard a voice tell her several hours before it happened that “something bad is going to happen to you.” With broken English and a broken heart, she pleaded for an answer - “Who was that talking to me – was it Jesus or the evil one? I need to know – who was it?!” She had asked several of her leaders, and gotten several different answers, before asking to talk to one of the staff. When that question was posed, our staff member didn’t know what to say. “Let’s pray about it, ok?!” With her leader on one side and the staff member on the other, this little girl cried as she listened to the staff member plead for God to show her who was talking. “Lord, it’s a weight on her shoulders, and I just pray that you’ll take it off.” After they got done praying, the leaders looked at the little girl. “Who do you think it was?” “I think it was Jesus, and I think He was trying to give me a clue.” Both leaders agreed with her, reminded her that she had done exactly what she should have (tell her mom) and told her that sometimes He prepares us for things in ways we don’t understand. This precious little child looked up with a smile on her face and peace in her heart. She hugs to the two women who helped her ask for the answer, and thus, that awful chapter in her life. Her load was lighter because this awful experience wasn’t her fault and the evil one wasn’t talking to her – Jesus had taken care of her. She was able to point back to the bad experience and see where Jesus had protected her, and how things could have gotten worse had He not been there with her. Many lives were touched this year at Camp Nikos – and a good number that we’ll probably never know about. Thank you for being a part of this camp - whether in prayer, financially or by sharing a loved one with the kids for the week. This was a week than 90+ children won’t forget, and, I dare say that most of the leaders who came won’t either. God’s touch extended far beyond the children served by this camp, and we pray that you’ll continue to support this ministry in prayer. Our next camp is our HEB camp – where a much smaller group of middle and high school kids head to the Rio Frio and camp out for several days. Please keep this camp in your prayers – we are currently in need of a lifeguard and several other important resources to make this camp happen – at the end of June. Thank you again for serving with us – we are grateful for you! Camp Updates 2009-06-22T00:54:08+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/thursday_update_-_the_craziest_day_of_camp/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/thursday_update_-_the_craziest_day_of_camp/#When:00:45:33Z We're sorry this was posted so late - the last days of camp are hectic and we didn't get this out. Thank you for all of your prayers - we know that God is not hindered by time and we are grateful! Thursday was a crazy day. It began with Addie, one of our girl leaders, having to be taken to Temple to have a doctor look at a spider bite. She was bitten several days ago, and it had become infected. Thankfully the doctor told us that she just needed to be on antibiotics as a preventative and she was able to come back to camp. The swelling around the bite has gone down and she is doing much better. Keep her in your prayers as the healing continues. Remember Vernon who had a rash (probably poison ivy) from Wednesday’s post? He had a great day – having so much fun with his tent – in fact, he was nominated for LightLady (shining Jesus’ light in words and actions) by his leaders. While fishing, he somehow had a fish touch his eye and it started watering pretty badly. By the time the afternoon activities were over, his eye was getting worse. Nurse Chris decided he needed to be sent to the hospital to have it looked at, so Ms. Jackie and one of the site staff headed in right after dinner. Please keep Vernon in your prayers – he was kept overnight so that the doctors could run tests on the infection in his eye to see where it came from and how to treat it. With Jackie with Vernon at the hospital and several other staff members who had to head back to Austin, we were several people short for thematics. God worked it all out, every challenge went without a hitch and the short number of staff was not felt by the campers. God is good. Please pray for our last few days at camp – for safety and health for the kids, leaders and staff. Pray for the last night of camp – there will be a lot of kids who are sad about leaving camp, and a lot who will be acting out thinking about going home. Please pray for an extra measure of grace for the leaders and an extra measure of peace in the tents and cabins tonight. -- An update to this – Vernon is home and doing much better. The doctors never figured out what the infection came from, but he was home the same day (Saturday) as the rest of the campers. We missed him on Friday, but we’re so grateful he is healthy and that was able to spend most of camp with us. Addie is doing really well also – her bite started healing as soon as she took the meds and treated it as per doc’s orders. Praise God for these two and their healing bodies. Camp Updates 2009-06-22T00:45:33+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/wednesday_update_-_vernons_story/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/wednesday_update_-_vernons_story/#When:23:55:42Z We’ve told you a little about our theme “The Amazing Race” in our intro to camp. Each day has a mini theme and a verse that the kids learn to a song (We’ve recorded each song – go to http://mpaustin.tumblr.com to view the videos – they’re great!). We have temporary tattoos that are the prize when a child can recite it all on their own. Wednesday’s theme was what keeps you from running well? Our verse was Hebrews 12:1 “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd watching our lives of faith, let’s throw off everything that slows us down - and the sin that so easily trips us up - and run with perseverance the race that God marked out for us!” We discussed what things can trip us up and how to run unhindered (like an athlete runs with light clothes and the right shoes). Monday’s theme was ‘What is The Amazing Race?’ 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Run in such a way as to get the prize! Athletes train for a prize that does not last, but we run for a prize that will last forever.” We talked about how we should live our lives like God is real – because He is! The reason for mentioning Monday’s theme on Wednesday is because the story below is about a child living believing that God is real. Vernon is one of our veteran Nikos campers. He’s 11 and has been coming for at least 3 or 4 years to every camp he can. He has two sisters here at camp – Jaylen and Charlissa – and all three have sweet smiles. Vernon loves to say his verses he learns both at this camp and the previous camps he’s been too. Last year, Vernon leaned up against a tree and got poison oak all on the back of his body. He was a trooper and had a smile when running around looking for something to rub his back on. This Wednesday a rash again developed on his back. He and a couple of leaders (Shawn and Caleb) sat and prayed right before FOB to heal his rash. Here is the story in Caleb’s words: Vernon had a rash of sorts (looked like poison ivy) on his back. We prayed for him during FOB and nothing seemed to happen. We prayed again and still the itch and rash remains we prayed a third time and sent him to bed. Less than two minutes later he hops out of bed and exclaims the itch is gone. We praised the Lord with thanksgiving. Soon God completely healed Vernon…the rash was gone! I could see it visible on his back easily before hand, and not it was gone! Healed by the blood of Jesus. Vernon got up during the night service to tell the rest of the camp what had happen and after the story everyone celebrated with him. Life in Vernon, Jaylen and Charli’s home is going through a rough time, so it was even more exciting to see him experience the realness of God. It is so amazing to see all the children experience the power of prayer and in one of their own friends. Keep them in your prayers as they are continued to experience God and His love for them throughout this week. Camp Updates 2009-06-14T23:55:42+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/tuesday_photos/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/tuesday_photos/#When:19:54:07Z Camp Updates 2009-06-11T19:54:07+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/tuesday_update/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/tuesday_update/#When:16:01:02Z An afternoon at the waterfrontTuesday was a day full of fun, sun, songs and smiles. Instead of giving you snippets of different stories, we wanted to share an afternoon adventure at the waterfront.Swimming time was ending and one of our youngest campers, Alex, was having fun and sitting out on the floating dock. When it was time to come in, he was scared to jump back in and laid down on the dock and wouldn’t move. So three leaders went out with a lifeguard to encourage him, love on him, and help him get off the dock. After 5 minutes of talking to him, he was still terrified and wouldn’t move. One of the site staff came to help and asked him if would get into a canoe to go back to shore. Alex liked that idea, so they brought over a canoe and the leaders surrounded the canoe, stabilizing it so he could get in. The lifeguard helped him in and the canoe took him back to the shore safely.Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, a canoe with three campers got stuck in the mud at the far edge. Another group of older campers went out to help dislodge the first canoe, and in the process got stuck too. Three of our girl leaders (Kea, Addie and Denise) headed out to the campers rescue. They were able to get the both canoes out of the mud but because it was time to switch activates, Kea, Denise and Addie linked to the campers canoes (by having the campers hold on to their canoe) and towed the girls back across the lake. Because the leaders were towing the girls’ canoes on one side, about 20 feet from the shore the leaders tipped over dumping Denise and Kea out. Addie was stuck in the middle and was able to right the canoe…even though it was filled to the brim with water. Denise decided to pull Addie (and the water filled canoe) to shore while Kea pulled the campers. Unfortunately, Denise saw (or thought she saw) a non-poisonous water snake in Addie’s canoe (both Denise and Addie are petrified of snakes). Screaming “SNAKE!!!” Denise jumped to the dock, with Addie and Kea following very quickly behind. Even though the girls were all in their canoes safely away from the scary snake, they started to scream and stand up (and as anyone who has been on a canoe knows is probably the worst thing they could do) and begged to get out of the water. All the leaders, lifeguards and staff on the shore tried to get them to sit down and pull them in. Within minutes, leaders had them calmed down and on the shore, a staff member had a garden hoe in hand and there was no snake to be found.What an afternoon! While there were some crazy moments, the teamwork that the leaders and campers showed was amazing. The campers and leaders got to share their exciting afternoon with the rest of the camp and many laughs ensued. I don’t think that anyone who witnessed this crazy time will forget it for years to come.We hope you enjoyed this little taste of Camp Nikos. We’ll continue to update you and covet your prayers. As you can see, we need all the guardian angels we can get! Camp Updates 2009-06-10T16:01:02+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/monday_update/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/monday_update/#When:04:09:04Z Camp has begun! The kids were picked up Monday afternoon and arrived at Camp Nikos about 4pm. They were greeted by their leaders all clad in green shirts with big smiles and huge hugs. The kids split into their camp families and headed off to their tents/cabins to unpack and write their family rules. Then they headed to get photos taken for nametags and their first meal of camp. With every tummy full, everyone took showers and headed back for night service. Our theme for camp is The Amazing Race, Live the Prize. The campers will face challenges every day and will work in teams to compete boys vs. girls. They won’t know their challenges until they receive their clue envelope that they have to figure out. But the winners of each challenge won’t be because they did it the fastest, but because they ran the best – the most participation, the best teamwork, the most love for each other. The best team will get a huge trophy that will be on their table for the whole next day to show that they lived the prize. One big praise is that the little girl we talked about in the previous post is here! She and her sister were able to come, and we’re so glad they’re part of camp. Keep the children in your prayers – that they will not only be physically safe, but feel the love of Christ from everyone they come in contact with. Pray for our leaders – for endurance, for wisdom and for love for the campers. Pray for health for everyone and for a unity in each cabin, tent and within the team leading the camp. Camp Updates 2009-06-10T04:09:04+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/welcome_to_camp_nikos/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/welcome_to_camp_nikos/#When:03:10:22Z Training has begun at Camp Nikos. Group leaders and staff gathered a little after 1pm Saturday in Rosebud, Texas – the location of the campsite that will host over 120 kids and over 70 group leaders and staff for the next week. Inner city kids will arrive Monday afternoon and grouped in ‘families’ for the week. Families consist of 2-3 group leaders and kids of all ages – with a regular ratio of 2 kids to 1 leader. It’s a very different ratio than normal summer camps…but Nikos isn’t a ‘normal’ camp.  Yes, all the normal camp things happen – swimming in the lake, jumping off a high platform onto the ‘blob’, fishing, archery, crafts, games, a theme and lots of yummy food.   Friends will be made, skins will be tanned, bug bites will happen. But there will be so much more. Tummies that usually go hungry will be full, hearts that so often go without encouragement and love will be filled, shoulders that are rarely hugged will be sore from all the love showered on them, and experiences and relationships will be had that will be remembered and held on to for a lifetime. The lessons learned through verses, through talks and through watching the interactions of people who love each other will last longer than the food/feelings ever could. Let us tell you about one little girl who came last year to camp. She was one of our youngest campers and if you saw her – you know that she was one of the sweetest little beings on earth. Even though she was tiny for her age, she had a beautiful smile, was always willing to be a part of her camp family’s activities, and was joyful doing whatever was asked. A day or two into camp her leaders started to notice that she didn’t like to eat.  As you can imagine, not eating isn’t normal. For most campers, food is one of the highlights of camp – 3 meals a day, plus snacks…it’s unheard of, especially during the summer without food from school and definitely a reason to come to camp.  We later found out that if she didn’t finish all the food that was put in front of her at home, her step-father would beat her - hitting her for not eating. Knowing this was coming each time she ate, not only did she have a hard time eating, she would throw up the little amount of food she was able to eat. But by the last days of camp, this beautiful little one was eating each time food was put in front of her, was laughing and talking with her family, and her bright smile lit up all around her. Just a couple of weeks ago, a former Nikos leader saw her at a pharmacy, and she lit up and said “Did you go to Camp Nikos?!” Amazingly she remembered a loving face (who wasn’t even her own leader) from Nikos – reminded of the love of Christ she felt almost a year before.  This sweet little one is signed up to come again, please pray that her parents won’t change their minds and that she’ll be able to join us again this year. Please join us in praying for each child that will get on the bus tomorrow to head to Nikos. Pray that God will be preparing their hearts and the hearts of their family leaders. Pray for wisdom to know how to deal with the ‘game faces’ that the kids will have on tomorrow.  Also, please pray for safety for the leaders that will be headed back to Austin to pick up the kids, and safety for the busses coming back to camp with all the kids.  We’ll try to post/email each morning for the day before – so the first daily post will be Tuesday morning. We also will have short updates throughout the day at http://mpaustin.tumblr.com if you’re interested in short and sweet comments about the day. Thank you for your part in this work in these kids lives – lifting these camp families up daily will make a huge difference in the way camp goes! You are a huge part – don’t think you’re not! Camp Updates 2009-06-09T03:10:22+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/nikos_spring_retreat_camp-out_09/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/nikos_spring_retreat_camp-out_09/#When:21:08:08Z The camp formerly known as “MUDD camp” stood true to it’s old name! Our camping grounds, Pole Cat Hollow, have come a long way in development since that first MUDD camp – but the weather traditionally provides some mud just before the Spring Retreat for making memories and messes. Thank you to all who prayed about the cold and rainy weather! God was certainly in control and had all just as He wanted. Because of the weather on Friday night and Saturday morning, we saw a significant turn-over with our registration list as we picked children up from different spots. This made logistics a bit more challenging as our campers arrived. But God allowed us to have all the kids assigned to groups before they pulled in, making their welcome moments more smooth and less stressed as their group leaders came right up to the bus, van, and car doors to kick off the weekend together. We only had one sprinkle shower on Sunday morning and even had a little sunshine on Monday! This retreat included MP’s very first ever Nikos Olympic Closing Ceremony! We had fun with the Olympic theme by having the children perform for an audience from Grace Covenant Church on Sunday night. They learned a movement routine to the catchy song “Final Countdown” choreographed by Caron Gibson and coached by Leece Naxera during their activity rotation. The kids enjoyed being in the spot light, and smiled as their four groups rotated on Pole Cat’s new track. (We are working on getting the video up on our website for you to see!) I wish you could’ve heard the children’s voices as they declared our theme verse together: “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd, watching our life of faith, let’s throw off everything that slows us down and the sin that so easily trips us up, and run with perseverance the race God set out for us! Hebrews 12:1” (Nikos version) To close the ceremony, we handed out “gold medals” to the children based on team achievements and sang a marathon of Nikos Camp Songs together. We praise God for everyone who came out to help prep and serve meals, run activities, serve as group leaders and adult staff, and for those who covered us in prayer! May God have his way with our hearts as He calls the ones He has in mind to continue in relationship with the little ones that came to this retreat! Testimonies 2009-03-20T21:08:08+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/fall_retreat_camp_out_wrap_up/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/fall_retreat_camp_out_wrap_up/#When:18:06:49Z Well, they all came and went… MP fed 125 at Pole Cat Hollow during this short 2 day, 1 night camp out. God brought so many teens and adults to love on the children, enough for less than a 1:2 ratio, and we didn’t even have a drop of rain! (VERY different from retreats past, formerly known as MUDD camp…)Because of the presence of God and the low ratios, many sweet and eternally significant moments happened amidst the songs, teaching, and outdoor activities. Sometimes at a camp-out like this one, teachable moments even happen in disguise! A leader might be frustrated, tired, and praying desperately for wisdom – when their camper experiences the glory of God as they watch the response. The leader might go home tired, but the child will go home having smelt the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. (2 Cor. 2:14) These are the incredible opportunities Christ-followers in Austin have to make a connection with a child that might change the course of their lives! What higher calling is there, than to hold the hand of a little one as they watch you live your life for The Almighty?*Read Cheryl’s personal take on the retreat at benandcheryl.wordpress.com Comments 2008-10-06T18:06:49+00:00 http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/fall_retreat_coming_up/ http://www.mpaustin.org/nikos_camps/blog/fall_retreat_coming_up/#When:01:22:51Z Fall Retreat is coming up September 26 - 28th! This is a short camp-out for children ages 6 -11 who will be invited to our Spring Retreat in March, and our Nikos Summer Camp in June. The content of this retreat is a review of what we learned at Nikos Summer Camp last June: Throughout the week full of songs, outdoor activities, crafts, and group times, we talked about The King’s character and His love. He is real! We can get to know Him and hear His voice. We can trust that He will do what He says. We usually have wet weather to camp in! The camp grounds are located in North Austin at Pole Cat Hollow, off Dessau Rd. This is a primitive camp that is still in development. Campers sleep in tents, and enjoy crafts, songs, games, good food, and a safe and loving environment. Comments 2008-09-11T01:22:51+00:00