International Extreme Camp

Dear Future Campers of IEC,

                                             I just pray that all of you are seeking a deeper intimacy in your relationship with God and I hope that He fills you through-out your daily activities.

Just last week on May 9th, I headed out to El Progreso, Yoro. As soon as I got to the church I could feel the ambience of the young kids’ excitement for the days to come at camp at IEC. As I interacted with them I came to meet a young boy named Edgardo. He and his family were there, He is a young kid in highschool that had heard a lot about our camps and he got so excited for camp from the first day we promoted at his church. In his excitement and his longing for something new in the Lord, he decided to save all his lunch money for school. He saved up $15.00 and a little more so he could come. In the interview he said: “I saved my luch money, I lost 20 pounds and now I’m ready to loose another 20 pounds at camp this weekend but first I want to focus on seeking God and His presence”. 

His fervor and so many other testimonies about kids having exams the week to follow and just leaving everything behind were stories that inspired me to have these kids in my prayers all weekend and so forth.

It was time to leave and 48 youth were getting ready to get on the big yellow school bus that would take them as far as San Isidro, Cortes. The cheers and songs on the bus all the way on the road were setting the ground for what was about to happen in a weekend full of activities that would build their character and and full of touching moments that would change their lives.

We arrived in San Isidro and we had to switch from the bus into and old cattle truck that would take the kids to our camp. At arrival, the kids were amazed to see the tents and torches up on the hills. It was time. God started working through us that night. Usually at our camps, we do not share anything about the schedule and we never let them know what happens next since that takes all the excitement away and opens more curiosity. Questions like: “Are we sleeping in tents?”, “Is there  coyotes and snakes here?” or “Are we gonna take baths in the lake?” were asked all night till bed time. Some were ready and some doubted why they even signed up for such an extreme adventure.

5 a.m. our siren goes off and it’s time for morning prayer. 15 minutes go by and we’re ready for our obstacle course. Kids are running up and down our hills and  you can hear some cheers, complaints and even some just not wanting to do anything at all. Pressing on till the end, they make it and declare victory for their team. They faced their giants, they overcame fear and through-out the day you could see God movingin every game, illustrations and teachings.

That night, which was a Saturday night, we shared some special time at a bonfire. Just kids seeking God and giving it all to their Creator was a humbling moment to see because most of the time as adults we just walk away from the passion and fervent sacrificed life we used to live for Him. Our prayers that night were that our fire would keep burning for Him at our camps because it’s all about Him and the lives He changes. Sexual abbuse, repentance, brokeness and healing were some of the things that God touched and restored that night.

Sunday, was a different day where we could sense the feeling of change after God had done everything He needed to do. The moment was near where it was time to leave but before that we had to have some family time for sharing about the experiences, forgiving one another and for getting our hearts ready for what God is going to continue doing in our lives. Some of the youth interviewed that day said: “I wish we could take this environment of unity back to our church and even our schools”, “We all felt like we were family and even when some of us didn’t know eachother” and “My life changed through an unforgettable experience with God at the International Extreme Camp”.

Every camp at IEC is different in every way because God moves in different ways but we can never forget how He works in the lives of the youth in Honduras and Latin America.

May 22nd, some of our staff our going to Branson, MO at Kanakuk Kamps (www.kanakuk.com), our partners in ministry. We are going to be part of the Kanakuk International Leadership Training (KILT) for a whole week. Please pray that we receive from God everything we need to know about camps so we can be equipped to disciple youth in Faith, Character and Sports. Pray that we can be leaders that make a difference.

We also would like to announce that we are having our next camp on July 4th - 6th, 2008 with youth between the ages of 18 - 25. Youth from Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are going to be with us for a whole weekend so please start praying for this next event.

Please give us your feedback on anything. We would all like to hear from you and maybe partner in ministry through our camps.

May God bless you all!