Wait a Minute, That’s Not a Mosquito Bite…

We are well underway for our second day of Junior Camp 1. We have a huge staff (65+) and a large number of campers, too (50+). The picture above is from one of everyone’s favorite parts of the day: Campfire! We sing fun and silly camp songs around the campfire every night as the very last thing we all do together before everyone heads off to bed. it’s a lot of fun, although those songs are a bit ear-wormy, so you sometimes find yourself unable to kick the tune, no matter how hard you try.

Besides silly songs stuck in our heads, one of the other challenges for our time has been the flying visitors who like to buzz in our ears: Mosquitos! It’s not that we are dealing with swarms of mosquitos, but rather, that there seem to be a handful of crafty ones that wait until we’re all sound asleep in our beds before coming by to feast on us. Who knew that mosquitos could be so strategic? So we all are carrying around a few more itches and scratches than we would prefer.

Just this afternoon, though, we came to realize that, by all appearances, our dear Rockstar (that’s Rosie’s Camp Name) has a different type of itch. Although she has been fully vaccinated, it appears that she has a case of Breakthrough Chicken Pox. Yes, she was exposed to the virus, but we weren’t concerned at all, since she is “inoculated”. But apparently the vaccine isn’t 100% effective. There is an expectation that, because she has received the vaccine, this should be a more mild case. And it’s certainly possible that we are mis-diagnosing. But assuming we are correct, this means is that, until she is done being contagious, she is needing to be quarantined at the house where we are staying. And that, of course, means that either Leanne or myself have to always be with her in that quarantine. Certainly this is an unexpected wrinkle in our plans for the week.

All the same, we have more than 50 campers here who have the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. So please pray for gospel effectiveness as we all minister and lead the large team at camp. As I sit here in the lodge during free time, I see a large contingent of campers swimming in the lake and a bunch of others flying down the hill on the slip ‘n slide. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is out, lots of laughter and joy are happening, and I am confident that the Lord is pleased in seeing these campers given this time of safety and fun in His name. May the fun and games translate well into love!

Immigration Status: Status Quo

Same story. No news. And no news is good news. Hopefully when I get news, that will be good news, too!

Prayer Needs

• Pray for Rosie to heal quickly, and that she will not get too discouraged at being quarantined.
• Pray Leanne and myself to figure out how best to juggle our time hanging out with her in quarantine, so that we can both still find meaningful ways to contribute to the success of camp this week.
• Pray for campers to trust Jesus to save them from their sins.
• Pray for the team of adults and teens to keep working hard to love and care for these campers!

Conclusion

It has certainly been a summer of surprises so far. Vehicle challenges, border and immigration challenges, and now some health surprises, to boot. But we sure appreciate you all pray for us and with us. The Lord is good, even in the challenges. We are grateful for you all!

Ryan and Leanne Donovan