The Servant in Battle

I have a book of Puritan prayers titled, The Valley of Vision. It is a help to me when I am seeking to be still and pray. One particular prayer was an encouragement to me during the week of July 25th, “The Servant in Battle.” It reminded me that “Calvary broke the dragon’s head, and I contend with a vanquished foe, who with all his subtlety and strength has already been overcome.” God has already won the victory! What a great truth to remember as we serve our
Savior.

This past year we have been praying consistently for God to give us 400 children this summer ~ 400 souls with whom we could share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That number of children would require 80 volunteers to serve at camp. At the time we did not have 80 names in our volunteer file and for the past 5-6 years (at least) our numbers for the summer have
been under 300 at camp. Asking for 400 was a leap of faith.

As you can see under the Summer Stats, God said, “YES” and gave us 406 children. At one point I counted the volunteers and we were at 74, and that wasn’t all of them! It was a busy 7 weeks of ministry. But oh, how sweet they were. Our team of summer missionaries worked well together, never fighting or showing irritation, frustration, or jealousy. They had a common goal: Reach the children with the Gospel. While the team did battle illness this summer, I praise God for His faithfulness and His supply of camp staff.

“The Servant in Battle” ends with these words:

Give me a draught of the eternal fountain

that lieth in thy immutable, everlasting love and decree.
Then shall my hand never weaken, my
feet never stumble, my sword never
rest, my shield never rust, my helmet
never shatter, my breastplate never
fall, as my strength rests in the power

of thy might.

For the Kingdom,
Shelley Hikes

Summer 2022 Stats:

Camp
June 27-July 1 Tamaqua, 83 enrolled, 5 professions of faith
July 11-15 Valley View, 67 enrolled, 7 professions of faith
July 18-22 Pine Grove, 99 enrolled, 9 professions of faith
July 25-29 Auburn, 85 enrolled, 5 professions of faith
Aug. 1-5 Ashland, 24 enrolled, 2 professions of faith
Totals – 5 Locations, 358 enrolled, 28 professions of faith

5-Day Club®

July 4-8 Pottsville, 17 enrolled, 0 professions of faith
July 4-8 Primrose, 7 enrolled, 0 professions of faith
Aug. 15-19 Ashland, 24 enrolled, 0 professions of faith
Totals – 5 Clubs, 48 enrolled, 0professions of faith

Total children reached – 406

To download the full version of this month’s newsletter, click here.