Camp Hope Report- Plantation Apartments

Camp Hope is now completed after a week of art, sports, food, fellowship and JESUS!  Camp Hope is directed by 180 member Caitlin Beidler.   Caitlin takes this camp on the road to broken areas in Haiti.  This year we were honored for her to do our first outreach as a church with her Camp Haiti format.  Kids had a daily regimen of arts and crafts, ball, and a healthy lunch and snack.  Mixed with Christian songs and worship, and a focus on the Miracles Of Jesus as found in the New Testament Gospels. 

We focused again on the Plantation Apartments Community in the area of Socastee in Myrtle Beach.  This area is a challenged area and like many areas of need, the kids are available with plenty of free time to come and hang out at the rec center.  Rosa, another 180 member is the assistant director at the community center.  Between Rosa, Caitlin and the 180 volunteers we were able to believe God for MIRACLES! 

The picture above is Donique.  Donique is a young boy from the community and heard the Gospel.  While sharing a presentation about how sin makes our hearts dark, Karen Roady boldly asked these precious kids if any of them felt that they had a dark heart.  Donique raised his hand.  In sharing how he could have his heart made clean, Donique quickly asked Jesus into his life in a prayer at the end of the Gospel message.  Out of over 50 kids, Donique is the only one that we know of that made a decision for Jesus Christ that week.  $300 invested in food, crafts, t-shirts, cd's and countless hours in 90 degree heat.  For one soul?  WORTH IT!

Tonight in service was Donique and his sister.  Also on hand was a community resident and her three boys who attended the outreach camp.  The lady who attended told Caitlin that ever since her boys came to camp they dug up the family Bible and insisted that their mom read it to them every day.  In her struggles during the week, she said that she was inspired to call out to God in prayer about her impossible situations and God answered every single time. 

What is ahead for Plantation I do not know.  But we are committed to reaching out and continuing to serve this needy community of beautiful people.

Stuart