Do not fear.

Picture this (for those of you that have been at a LOC camp before... this should be easier): 80 ten to nineteen year old gypsy kids, 26 Romanian volunteers, 29 American team members from OK, 8 interns, 4 staff members. In a sala (gym), sweaty, hot, smiling, jumping up and down singing "Fii excelent in ce este bun, fie inocent in rau" or numerous other songs. It was FANTASTIC. That happened every day this past week. Kids and staff together singing praises to God at the top of their lungs. Whether the children knew it or not, they were praising the one and only God of all. This week was exhausting. This week was hot. This week was great.

Please pray for Cristina. She is 11 and lives in Apalina, a gypsy village. I love her. I spent a lot of time with her this past week. She is beautiful, sweet, and in need of a Heavenly Father and Savior.

And a few thoughts brought on by chapter 8 of Radical by David Platt (the book all of the interns are reading and discussing together this summer):

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Matthew 10:28

Encouraging, huh? Jesus said this to his disciples as he was sending them out in his name to heal the sick, call out demons, and spread the truth. He told them to not be afraid of going to new places, odd places, scary places - because the worst thing that people can do to you is kill you. "So what," Jesus says... dying is gain. Philippians 1:21. God is sovereign.

• Why does is scare me so much to pray for more of God and less of me?
• Do I believe that the Great Reward is not going to be found on earth?
• Do I believe that God is more than enough?
• Do I believe that this life is not the point?
• Do I really believe that it is not about me?
• Do I really believe that, once rescued by Jesus Christ, dying for the sake of His name is gain?
• Do you?

As we begin week 6 of camp, please pray for us to be energized, renewed, and passionate about seeing God glorified.

Also, American missionaries Jeff and Jenny McDonnell (and their 2 year old son, Jack) that have been here for 2 years as well as Justin Hendrix, an intern, leave early Wednesday morning to head back to the States. Pray for them all as they adjust and that they will not go back to "life as before," but that they will seek to glorify God even more than before.