Record numbers learn about God’s Promises in Elbow Lake

At Hope Camp in Elbow Lake, we all shared good times learning about God’s Promises with a record number of campers — more than 100. Those promises included Creator promising Great Grandfather Abraham a son, and Jesus making us a new creation and promising to protect his followers, even helping us become a blessing to others. Some of the oldest girls aged 9 through 12 prayed to have Jesus come into their hearts at camp, and the oldest boys prayed earnestly for one another’s requests, opening up more dialogue about faith and what it means to follow Creator. Elbow Lake Hope Camp, organized by a team from Vineyard churches in Illinois and Minnesota, ran from June 25 to 29, 2018, at the Elbow Lake Rec Center.

We also had fun in the sun and swimming every day in Big Elbow Lake — every 7-year-old’s dream! Camp Director Liz Hawes Ng and her husband Jason’s son, Isaiah, made his first appearance at camp this summer, as Liz says, “on the outside.” Jason was everyone’s hero, playing basketball with the kids while baby-wearing. The teenagers and young adults took much care and put in hard work painting wooden trays to give as gifts to the elders at our community dinner on Thursday, June 28, down by the lake. Some of our team helped make frybread and wild rice soup with our favorite moms in the village for the dinner, and two bouncy houses rounded out the night. I reconnected with a former camper’s family and had the pleasure of enjoying fresh-picked wild strawberries with them and taking home freshly-jarred salsa and plum jelly made in their kitchen. Winter, for many of us this year, will be filled with yummy memories of Hope Camp.