Psalm 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

The calm before the storm… we are 48 hours away from our next wave of OSY camps. We have 6 camps left – 76 buses – potentially over 3000 more campers before we close out the 2009 season. With these remaining camps we will have only 2 days “off”. The schedule is demanding and we expect high energy at all times from our program staff and ourselves.

I sit here almost exhausted just thinking about the next few weeks, but when I remember lives that have been changed, like Ivan’s, it refreshes my spirit and my mind, and body responds with, “ok let’s do this again. It is worth it.” I rejoice!

Ivan Trejo is 20 years old and has lived his last 3 years drunk nearly every single day. There is not much peace in Ivan’s home. His mother and father fight a lot. His brother worships death and his father is consumed with physical possessions and money, while his mother submerges her life in the Catholic Church.

Although Ivan never wanted for anything materially he just was not satisfied. He pursued alcohol to help him feel better about himself and that led to cocaine use. He knew he was on a dead end road, and he wanted to find an alternative.

His brother was in a rehab center for drugs and has been in and out of programs for 10 years now. He was invited to come to one of our OSY camps and told his brother, Ivan about it. Ivan decided to come because as he puts it he was “tired of himself, drinking, his life and he was seeking something more”

Ivan arrived at one of our OSY camps in June 2009, and he arrived drunk. (We probably even took alcohol off of him as he passed through our security check.) What alcohol, cocaine and indulging parents could not offer Ivan – the Gospel message did. Ivan found forgiveness of his sins; he found true love and the gift of eternal life.

Ivan told me that the moment he received Christ as his Saviour, his desire for alcohol and drugs left him. What he had been searching for he finally encountered – a new life in Christ!

Okay, so now a little reflection time – is it really such a big deal if I will only average 4 – 5 hours of sleep / day for the next 2 weeks? Am I really missing out on something if I cannot keep to my running schedule because there just are not enough
hours in the day? What about “me-time”? How about you? Will it be worth you spending a few more moments in prayer for these OSY? Was it worth the financial support?

You see I got Ivan’s full testimony last week, in November 2009, as we sat down to eat lunch together at the camp following staff training. Ivan is now part of our program staff and is helping to run these remaining OSY camps of 2009. Today Ivan defines himself with his 4 goals:

1. “be more stable with God”
2. “be prosperous with God rather than man”
3. “serve God”
4. “tithe and be financially responsible to God”

Yes, my spirit is refreshed. My heart is humbled that God would allow me to see such transformations over and over again in so many youths’ lives. I am weak, but He is strong. I rejoice in Ivan’s new life and the potential of seeing many more saved. Thank you for partnering with us. We couldn’t do it without you!