Miron update of July 2022

Greetings friends and family!

Time passes differently at summer camp. Seems just not that long ago we were welcoming the first arrivals of summer staff and yet, very soon, we will be saying goodbyes. It is pure joy to listen to kids swimming, fishing, and boating on Shear Lake. To watch them bound across fields playing ambush games. To see them enjoy a meal prepared by volunteers who love God and want to see His work first-hand at summer camp. We serve here at Camp Barakel for one reason: to share the Gospel. The campers are given multiple times a day to hear sound Bible teaching. They attend two chapel sessions each day, and have tribe talks each morning with their counselor where they are learning and memorizing from Titus 2.

 At camp, one can escape into the throngs of nature and see God’s eternal attributes through his creation. Psalms 124:24-25 says, “²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. ²⁵ Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.”
Our mission at Camp Barakel is to give a biblical understanding of who our living God is; how man has fallen because of sin and how there is redemption back to God solely from what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

We are nearing the end of  Week 10 at Camp Barakel. Currently on the East side we are hosting highschoolers in grades 10 -12 and having a blast. It has been so much fun to interact with all the different kids these past few months. Not only to get to know the campers, but to watch the summer staff grow in the Lord and their relationships with staff and colleagues. Barakel is surely a place “Where God has Blessed!”

Each week we are helped in the kitchen with 6 to 7 adult volunteers that labor with us to feed roughly 210 mouths per meal. They are a huge blessing to Rita and I. They work hard to make sure that these kids are physically fed so that they can be spiritually fed in chapels and in their tribe talks. I thank God for each and every one of them. It is a blessing to spend time with them; getting to know who they are, their backgrounds, and doing early morning devotions with them.

Both Eli and Celia got to camp this summer. It is so great to hear about their week of adventure and to know that they have a counselor who loves them and invests in them.

Celia is doing absolutely fantastic since her accident in February. Watching her now, you would never know she broke her femur. She spends most of her day down at the waterfront swimming and getting to know everyone. She still has some muscle to build back, but that will happen in time.

Rita is doing well. Physical therapy is really helping her. She is able to move and function almost as well as she would like. Rita has been vital to our kitchen all summer. She handles all the special diets for the campers and the summer staff. She really gets to know these kids as she talks to them and feeds them. To say I could not do this job without her would be a huge understatement. I could not. Nor would I really want to without my helper.

I am doing great. My shoulder is at 100%. There really is nothing that I cannot do with my shoulder. This past year has been challenging with our many medical needs. We are so grateful for the care we received from our doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. We have seen many blessings and answers to prayer in the difficult times.

A few prayer requests:

Rita hit a deer last week, damaging our only vehicle. We are thankful nobody was hurt, and that we have good insurance. Prayers that our vehicle will be able to be repaired in a timely manner would be appreciated. Please pray for our kids as they will be starting school again in less than a month. Celia will be attending the local middle school and Eli will continue to be homeschooled. Pray for Rita and I to continue to serve well in our dining hall. We desire to be a blessing to our volunteer staff as well as all the campers.

Rita and I really want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your love, prayers and your financial giving to our ministry. This is not something we take lightly. We remember you in our prayers and thank God for your blessings on us. Thank you for giving to the ministry.  If you know of any opportunities to share this mission, what we do and why we do it, we would love to share it with churches and families. May God continue to bless you so that you can be a blessing to others!

Blessings to you and your family!

Dave and Rita Miron
July 2022