Hey everyone! Sadly, it's the end of the last day for us at the Stockton French Camp, where we've been ministering to the kids and their families with their past few days. We started out the day early, putting together backpacks with shoes, shirts, pants, and books to pass out to the families after tonight's service. Then the team packed all the backpacks and grocery bags of food for each family, inside the U-Haul and headed over to the French Camp. Once we arrived at French Camp (around 3-ish), the team got out and interacted with the kids by kicking around soccer balls, and engaging in all out water wars, which included water balloons, hoses, water guns, and anything else that could help our efforts. :D After about an hour of the water games, the team headed back into the van and went over to McDonalds/Burger King for out usual "snack" before VBS and such. Then the team got back inside the vans, and arrived back at French Camp for the last time at around 6 p.m. Immediately we unloaded and the team started interacting with the kids and unloading chairs and tables from a trailer that we use. Crafts and lessons quickly got underway and by 7:15, everything was wrapped up and we began the "grand finale" if you will. Some of the team passed out goodies & snacks, while A.T.D. and Nate passed out the backpacks and food to families, and the rest of the team played with the remaining children and took pictures with some of the kids. At around 8:45, the team packed up for the last time of the evening and pulled away from our migrant camp that we have come to love and cherish. We headed back to the church where we have been staying since Sunday night, and fellowship was abundant, as was the food. Yum! :P We dined on pizza, that one of the church members so generously bought for our team, and added garlic bread and salad into the mix, while also re-capping the events of today and planning our schedule out for tomorrow. Here's a rough outline of what's scheduled for tomorrow:
1.7 a.m. wake-up & breakfast
2.9 a.m. pack-up and head out
3.10:30-ish arrival @ San. Fran.
4.10:30-4:30 sight-seeing around San. Fran.
5.4:30 check-in @ hotel
6. more sightseeing along with dinner and some shopping
So you might be wondering how you can pray for us. Well, you could pray for the kids' salvation that we ministered to. Many of us got to share the gospel at least once and also had a bonding expierience with some of the kids. Praise God! Please pray that our lives impacted the kids and their families for the gospel, and that Jesus Christ was clearly put on display through our lives in the way our team treated each other and also through our service to them. We know that God alone has the power to save lives, but we pray that we might have been able to influence them for the gospel somehow. You can also pray that we have a safe journey tomorrow morning, as our team heads out early to San Fran, and that we would not lose our loving attitude towards one another; that we wouldn't leave our servant's heart on the mission field, but rather that we would bring it with us in all that we say and do wherever we go. It's about time for bed now, and we will truly, truly miss those kids. They were such a blessing to us in so many ways, and I think we all learned something particular for each of us! We are a much closer team through everything that has happened, so praise God! "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." -Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
Night everyone! Sweet dreams!
Love and Prayers,
Emily Karsik
:)