Connecting with Nature and the Father

This January, CoLaborers Costa Rica hosted our 3rd year of Camp Encuentro for the children in the Las Gradas Betel program during their summer break. A team from the Hope Fellowship youth group came to help us put it on, along with many local leaders in the cabins and leading the chapel services. The day before camp, the Hope youth team did a service day in Las Gradas, doing cleaning and small construction projects all morning. One team member, Ashton, also taught music classes to children in the community from ages 3-9 years old. In the afternoon, the whole team worked together to put on a special event for the teenagers in Las Gradas, with games, worship, testimonies, and a small message from the youth pastor, Andrea. It was a wonderful chance to get some practical needs accomplished around the building, but also to strengthen our bonds in the community and allow the missions team to get to know the community and the circumstances the children live in, before heading to camp the next day.

Camp Encuentro was a huge success. We took 37 children and 24 adult leaders to a beautiful camp in a tropical climate, and the children had 4 days of playing, getting 3 square meals a day, an actual bed to sleep in, and wonderful chapel services. Our theme was the Prodigal Son parable from Luke 15, and the children learned about what a perfect heavenly Father is like and how He loves them unconditionally, as many of them do not have an earthly father that shows them that type of love. We learned about the consequences of leaving the Father’s home to go out into the world, but that it’s never too late to come home and start your walk with Christ. Many of the children opened up and began the process of healing the wounds from their home lives. 24 children accepted Jesus as their Savior and committed to walking the path with Him in continued sanctification. Our hope is to begin a discipleship group in the next month with those children to continue going deeper and building on what the Lord did at camp. The local pastor who taught our chapel services, is currently writing out a discipleship curriculum for us to be able to use with these children.

Check out the photos from camp here. 

Blessings,

Brittany and Frank Hynson