Weeks 5-7 and the end of camp!

Hiking down to Hicks Creek with Daddy

The girls and I hiked back up in the pouring rain!

Justin and a group of staff hiked up the creek one Sunday

Norah, Evie and Max look down from Inspiration Point.

"Granny Wrangler" Eileen gave us a treat- rides on the cart with her miniature horse, Pipsqueak

Well, the summer camp season is officially over! I for one feel like my head is still spinning. We had a great last few weeks of camp and I know that God worked powerfully in the campers and staff's lives. Here are a couple of testimonials from this summer:

"Well, Victory 2013, it's been amazing. From songs about diseases, to poison darts, to shenanigans in Seward and more, I couldn't have asked for a better summer. God definitely showed me that He is the source of ultimate strength and that I can always rely on Him no matter what. I'm sad beyond belief to be leaving but I know that it's not goodbye, it's just a "see you later." Thank you Lord for blessing me with such an amazing summer with such an amazing group of people. I love each and every single one of you and feel so privileged to have met you all."

"I'm so thankful I got to go to camp this year! I learned so much and was challenged and encouraged! It's beautiful, what can happen when a bunch of believers come together in His name. I'm so thankful for the challenges I faced, and for the friends I made. I came home today and am already planning signing up for next summer! God is so good."

Please continue to pray, as those whose lives have been changed while they were here are now going home and down from their mountaintop experience, back to their regular day-to-day routines. The enemy really tries to pull you down at a time like that, and we need to pray that God will continue to be real and present in the lives of the young people who made decisions for him this summer. Pray that those who made first-time decisions to accept Christ would be able to connect with local youth groups, mentors, and people that they can receive advice from and stay accountable to in their faith daily. For those who decided to recommit their lives to God, pray that they will grow in their faith, in the knowledge of God, and in love for others as they put into practice what they know God is asking of them. The theme this summer was Be Different- and we pray that so many lives will be!

We also got to have some of my (Lynsey's) family come up for a visit during the last week of camp, as I had several siblings attending as campers. We 'only' had 2 emergency trips into town for sickness! What a crazy week! Thankfully both brothers that needed medical help are fine now. God is good and it was awesome to spend some time with family as I was missing my husband and it helped the last week of camp (and missing him) to go by very quickly!
Now we are looking ahead to the arrival of our new baby and preparing for that. I'm due in less than 2 weeks but not getting too excited yet because my babies like to be born late. :)

Ways you can be praying right now:

-What was said above, about campers and staff going home, is so important. Pray that they will take new steps in their faith and trust God to help them change their lives. Also, pray for those who acted indifferent to the gospel message. We know that seeds of faith were still planted in their hearts and someday they may grow...God never forgets about anyone!

-Pray for Victory's permanent staff as we transition immediately into the conference season. It can be hard to shift gears from summer camp to conference time. Pray for organization and enthusiasm for hosting guest groups.

-That the birth of baby Hostetter #3 will be smooth and enjoyable, and that baby and I will be safe and healthy throughout. Also pray, mostly for Norah but also for Evie, that they will adjust easily to a new family member and that we will be able to remind Norah that she is still our sweetie!