Kids Lives BEAUTIFULLY Transformed!

Would you join us in praying for kids these 3 weeks?

So many great stories of God's grace have been swirling around us. Well over 150 kids showed up to the 'new believers walk' this morn, with kids placing a 'tile' in the sluice box to commemorate their decision to say 'yes' to a relationship with Jesus. Such a thrill to see all this unfold!

A cabin of kids went on the Day 2 night hike to see the clearest view of the stars these kids have ever seen.  They sat together and prayed they could see a shooting star. Immediately, the brightest one any of us had ever seen zipped by and it's trail remained for almost 10 seconds until finally vanishing.  I saw it happen too, but did not know this cabin of kids who have never prayed, were praying specifically for something like this to happen!  God is so able.


A girl who had put up walls, not wanting to look into knowing God, nor talking to leaders about it, had a divine encounter. During the Day Four, 15 minute quiet time, she finally figured she would give God a try. She caved in and tried praying a first time, and closed her eyes. She said she began to see a vision, a picture that came alive, of being in a dark room with a door. She heard God's voice calling to her from the door, and in her vision she reached out to open the door and said that she saw the face of what looked like Jesus (even with tan skin) and he said, 'everything is forgiven, come home!'  And that is exactly what she did!  Incredible how what Jesus shared a combined picture to her of both Rev. 3:20 and Luke 15!  Standing at the door calling her by name and coming to her senses to come home to her heavenly father!  It was fun to see her show up to the 'new believers walk' the next morning!

On the last two days, I copied God's approach with how he thinks of us. Isaiah 49:16: "See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands."  I wrote kids names on the palm of my hand to pray, and during my Day 4 message of how Jesus stands at the door and knocks, I spoke the names of 10 kids as examples of how personal that God is with us.  Later that day, a leader commented that when I said her name out loud, it helped her realize that Jesus was specifically knocking on HER door, and she opened her life to God for the first time.

After sharing how Jesus listened to the WHOLE story of the hemorrhaging woman from Mark 5:25, a young man from Ellensburg, 'Double J', asked if he could tell me HIS whole story. His story included being torn down from kids at school insulting his skin color and race; not being 'black enough' for some, nor white enough for others. In 7th grade he was taken out of school after an angry outburst after racial slurs being written on his locker.  And this year, he lost his father to a lethal combo of cancer and a heart attack, after his mom lost her job. I waited for the story to resolve but at that point...that was all to his story.  I asked to pray for him and as I prayed, the Lord brought a picture to mind. Double J is a 'masterpiece and work of art' that Ephesians 2:10 refers to. And that as God enters into his life and works a redemptive new story, He has his 'perfect mixture' of paints on his palette...and that Double J's skin color IS the perfect mixture for this masterpiece.  I sensed the Lord leading me to say that he will use his skin color, the loss of his father, and his mother's profession of teaching 'Communication' to raise him up to be a gifted communicator to all nations, races, socio-economic statuses, and from all kinds of backgrounds and stories.  As I prayed, we cried together and hugged and agreed that this felt like this moment and these words from from God. I believe Double J is a kid we will hear much more from in the future!


Another kid's life story tore my heart to shreds. Sergio from Seattle. After our work crew shared their cardboard testimonies, he got the courage to want to open up to me. He said he hates emotions and talking. I suggested that this is not from God but from the evil one. So he shared. His parents had gotten divorced, and after a terrible debacle, CPS disallowed his mother to see him and his little brothers anymore. He moved in permanently with his father, whom he struggles mightily to connect with in any way. Depression and dark thoughts and anxiety overwhelm him often. And he wants to be free from all this. His leader joined me to pray. The words God gave us were that he needs to open up to a few mentors to be as father-like influences in his life, to invite his friends in his cabin to know the secret pain he carries and lastly, to take a bold step of faith and trust in God... to let his father know that he is struggling with depression and anxiety and dark thoughts and ask him to assist him to get professional help. We cried together, prayed and hugged for a few minutes. His leader let me know he would walk with Sergio.

A group from Waitsburg (near Walla Walla) had an incredible week, where every kid 'stood up' and were powerfully changed. The leaders commented that it was a 100% success rate of kids lives transforming. Ha!

A last one.  A longtime leader from Ellensburg had two kids here that signed up from their family, but they did not want to come, nor talk about God.  Both refused to get out of bed a number of times and wanted to skip activities and sleep through club and the messages.  They made it evident they did not want to be there.  Something began to change.  Other boys they knew from school were being really open and 'real' during cabin times, taking God more seriously than they'd ever seen peers do.  They watched the others' lives change before their eyes and even though they did not pay attention to the content of the messages, seeing God's power and works was enough for them to decide to pray for the first time ever, to open their hearts to Jesus and start a relationship with God.

All this and so much more in the past few days in the lives of 448 campers. Praying for transformations in the lives of over 400 more campers that just arrived from Auburn, Federal Way, Enumclaw, N.Y., Lynnwood-Terrace, Tahoma, and Shoreline.

-Jeff-