Winter Camp Day 3 Update

It's the final night of a 4 day pursuit of God. The last day at camp held quite a few surprises. We started the day off with breakout sessions once more. Today we had guys and girls breakouts in separate areas, and had a panel of youth leaders answer questions. One panel of all ladies fielded any questions the girls could think to ask, and the guys did the same thing on the other side of campus (we figured the distance would be appropriate). The questions are written down on small paper clippings and dropped in a box, so they are anonymous, which allows the students to ask things they may have been afraid to ask before.

The afternoon was home to the historic FOS Final Day Relay! As always, it ended with a 6 person pyramid, and you can see some of the results in the photos. After a large chunk of free time (that was consumed with a trip to white pass for some sledding), we all headed into service. I preached a first person narrative sermon in the perspective of the Apostle Paul during the stoning of Stephen and his persecution of the church that ensued. The point was that Jesus forgave Paul, and that example was shown to us so we could be absolutely certain that he could forgive us too (1 Timothy 1:15-17). The big theme of the night was confession. We are encouraging our young men and women to be completely honest and trust that FOS is a safe place to be transparent. The phrase I often use is "it's ok to not be ok." Tonight honed in on that, and the response was incredible. God has been so good to us on this mountain. A lack of snow, tired bodies, and selfish, sinful souls are not enough to stop God from doing something profound. I have been blessed to see these students respond the way they have.

Enjoy the pictures, and I believe I will be signing off for now at about 1:30! Check out fosmissions.blogspot.com and/or takethegamble.blogspot.com (sorry for the misinformation yesterday, must be the sleep depravation program!).

For the Glory of God,
Jake

Junior High Guys' Pyramid







Junior High Girls







High School Girls







High School Guys







High School Guys- The 2011 Relay Champions







Some Sunday Night Photos From Our Worship Service

FOS Winter Camp Day 2

Hello Again,
It is almost midnight here at Ghormley Meadows, and we have some excited kids. We started off the morning with devotions. Each student received a notebook that includes a camp schedule, space for notes, and devotions. It would be extremely cool for the kids to come home to parents asking about the notebooks! They will keep them with them until the trip home, and you could walk through some of their notes, and even the morning devotions they did while at camp. After devotions we hit breakfast, and then had individual devotion time (that means the kids read their BIbles on their own, rather than as a cabin). The pictures you see of groups in cabins are of our breakout sessions. We had 4 total:
1) Ally Fleming- "There's Something About Mary"- Ally is a great youth staffer, and her breakout session was for young women trying to figure out how to be a godly woman in today's world. It was an in depth look at the life and character of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Most of our girls sat through this at least once, and it would be worthwhile to ask what they learned from this one!
2) Nate Wauzynski- "When Push Comes to Love"- Nate is a former youth pastor from Yakima, and has come to FOS with an awesome energy and heart to serve. He has preached a few times, and taught this breakout session on loving people who are "unlovable." He did a great job exposing the Biblical truth that if we don't love these, then no one will. It is our responsibility to love people that are difficult to love. Another great session!
3) Rachael Brown- "Worship Through Music"- Rachael spoke to a few smaller groups (mostly musicians) about the true heart of musical worship. She did a phenomenal job bringing to light the Biblical inspiration of most music, and reminding us that all of our worship should be "Scripture-centric." Every student and leader I saw coming out of this one was processing deep truth.
4) Chase Salyers- "What is He Worth?"- Chase's breakout session was on taking risks for the gospel. Chase just moved to Washington from Ohio to finish school, and is a man of the Word. He did a great job stirring up the hearts of these young men and women to go and share the gospel all over the world.

After our breakout sessions, we had lunch and a bit of a break. At 1 pm we started our game sessions. The most popular of which is likely the infamous "grinder." You'll see pictures that invoke the competitive spirit. The structured games lasted for two hours, and at 3:30 pm the students have free time until dinner. At 6:15 pm we start pre-service prayer, and then head into our service. Tonight I spoke on "Joyful Submission." The big idea was as follows: Having a high view of Jesus allows us to serve Him joyfully. The point of the message was that if we are having a difficult time serving God, and it feels like begrudging submission to a far off God, we have lost sight of our great Savior. I listed ten attributes of Jesus from Scripture: 1) Selfless (Phil. 2:6), 2) Humble (Phil. 2:7-8), 3) Compassionate (Matt. 9:36), 4) Loving (John 15:13), 5) Courageous (Matt. 26), 6) Powerful (Matt. 9:53), 7) Gracious (Luke 23:34), 8) Sympathetic (Hebrews 4:15), 9) Just (Gen. 18:25), 10) Righteous (1 Peter 2:22). In light of all these things, we should be excited to be on Jesus' team.

I hope these emails are finding you well! We have some bumps and bruises, and some sleepy faces, but God is moving in the hearts of our young men and women, and lives are being changed for eternity on this mountain. God is good.

You can see these emails in blog form with picture captions at fosmissions.blogspot.com and foundlacking.blogspot.com

For the Glory of God,
Jake Gamble

Chase's Breakout Session- "What is He Worth"







Nate's Breakout- "When Push Comes to Love"







Rachael's breakout- "Worship Through Song"







Ally's Breakout- "There's something about Mary"







Spruce Cabin's Breakfast







Worship After The Message







"The Name Game" - (Hilarious!)







Our 6'6" 240 pound Youth Staff Man-beast vs. 4 Junior High Girls (The Girls Won!)







Jared Dziadosz Working on a Fingerblaster

Winter Camp Day 1- Email To Parents

First, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who are getting this email. Your interest in the lives of these Young Men and Women will spur them on to good works, to fight the good fight of faith, and to run the race with perseverance. Second, I wanted to share with you some of the things that happened today. The first day of camp is always overwhelming. Whatever can go wrong will, and things that shouldn't find a way to add to the fun. We started the day late, because of me losing my keys 2 minutes prior to departure. That means I could not bring my laptop, sermon slides, or any service orders. We were also missing a few pieces for the band, and one of the buses took the "scenic route" arriving 45 minutes later than the rest of the group. But we were determined to make it all work.

The students and leaders sat down at dinner together (I didn't get to go or I would have pictures), and then headed down for service. I spoke on Genesis 25, "A Heart For Sale." It was the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew, and the human predisposition to settle for less than what God has called us to. The kids responded well, and you can view some of the attached photos. We also have two guest musicians from Massachusetts providing the music, and are doing a great job. Every one is now in bed and hopefully (but not likely) enjoying a good night's sleep before a full day tomorrow.

Thank you for your interest in the lives of these young men and women. The vision I have for ECC's unified church is brought to light in this verse in 1 Thessalonians: "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." I pray that this is the heart God is working through the generations at ECC, that the Gospel has stirred your hearts and mine to not only share the gospel, but also our lives, because our love for one another is so dear.

You can also read this email at FOS' missions blog linked below, and my blog. Thanks again,

For the Glory of God,
Jake Gamble

P.S.- Sorry the pictures are a little blurry- I'm working on it.

Some of the guys in "Cougar" hanging out for small group.

Away From Home

I spent the last week in LA for our annual missions trip to the Dream Center in Los Angeles. For updates on it check out "fosmissions.blogspot.com

Skid Row

On Friday morning, 9 people from our team (required to be 17 and older) got the go ahead to visit "Skid Row" in downtown LA. This is an area of 12 city blocks that is "home" to about 1,000 homeless people per block. As we drove past in our vans to park, it was incredible to see every single sidewalk full of people. Some were sleeping on mats, others pushing carts, and others still standing "innocently."

We pulled over and as we were receiving our simple instructions (to invite each person to a free meal at 1:30 pm)a man decided it was time to impart some wisdom. He told us how he was a product of Skid Row, how he had grown up there and the streets made him who he was, and how he could smell the "Hills" (Beverly Hills) on everyone of us "rich white folk." The tension was high enough without this guy stirring us up, but that didn't help. Some of the kids (and leaders) were afraid, so we took time to pray and ask God for courage and protection.

As we walked the streets, I saw things that I know will never be erased from my memory. After speaking with one man, I was walking to catch up with the group when a guy stumbled around the corner. I was a bit startled, but as I went to invite him to the meal I noticed his eyes rolled back in his head and a band tied around his upper arm. He had just finished shooting up in the alley. I tried to start a coherent conversation with him, but he was not following. We passed a few more blocks when I stopped to talk with 2 more guys. They were surprisingly friendly as I made conversation, and when I had finished (about to ask them if I could pray with them since they were so nice) speaking both started to reach into their pockets. One pulled out a large wad of cash, the other a small baggie filled with white powder. I was 2 feet from them and in broad daylight, but there was no shame on their part, it was simply a part of every day life.

Then we stopped by San Julian Park. I had only seen places like this in the movies. There were probably a hundred people inside, groups of 10-15 spread out around covered tables with their music blasting from old school boom boxes. I decided to approach one table and apologize for interrupting. The conversation went something like this-

Me: "Hey, sorry to interrupt, how's it going?"
Guy: "You don't care."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry...I just wanted to tell you we are serving a free meal..."
Guy: "Good for you."
Me: "Well, it's at 1:30 at the V.O.A..."
Guy: "Shut up."
Me: "Yes sir, well I hope to see..."
Guy: "I said SHUTUP!"

Needless to say, I shut up. I wasn't sure what it was that set him off. Maybe it was my tone, or the fact that I was interrupting. Maybe it was the fact that I was white and he thought I had no business interrupting his day. I could feel the bitterness, anger, and hatred coming from his soul.

A few blocks from there a large camper sat on the side of the street that had a bucket inside. Junkies could come drop off dirty needles and exchange them for clean ones. It was like the city had given up, saying, "Well, we can't stop them from shooting up, so we might as well keep them from getting AIDS while they do it."

I had never seen anything like Skid Row. So many people hurting, broken, desperate, and lost...and they don't want any help. Years and years of neglect have left some angry at the world; and others searching for a way out. Stepping out of the car you could feel the weight of the place you had entered. You could feel the oppression, and you could sense the hopelessness. Somehow, seeing through the anger and desperation and the high most were riding, I saw something unexpected. I saw people. There were souls in there. Some maybe hidden deeper than others, but there were real, genuine people who were made in the image of God! There were people who had never known love, who had never seen the beautiful feet mentioned in Romans 10. Sin had hidden the message from them for so long, and we tried to bring it through food.

I left unsure of what to feel. I wanted so badly to do more. All of us wanted to rush out of our van and weep, crying out to them, "It doesn't have to be this way! There is another life, a better life! There is hope and infinite joy! It's not just Chinese food we were inviting you too!"

It left me thinking this- No place on this earth is God-forsaken. No matter how dark and lost a place is, God is there. But as I looked around and saw the misery all I could think was what hell must be like. Similar in a place of torment and hopelessness, but there is no sunshine that brings light in the morning. There is no free meal on Friday afternoon to fill your belly. There is merely the tragedy of dead souls who never knew the life that was at stake. And as the thought hit me I could not help but think I will not be a part of people going to hell! If sinners go then I will do all that is in my power to stop them! I will beg and plead and weep with them to find Christ in their lives so that they must not experience hell! They mustn't go to a place worse than what I had seen! God give me beautiful feet to bring that message.

C.H. Spurgeon once said, "If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

Make it so, Sweet Lord. Precious Jesus, please let the people of Skid Row see that "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Who wants to wash clothes? You?

It's really Friday this time. I'm in a hotel room in Laguna Beach (which may be the most beautiful place I have ever seen) and we have begun our "decompress time." After a week of waking up at 6, taking cold showers, and doing ministry for roughly 15 hours a day, I think the team has earned a night of relaxation. We are taking them to Red Robin for dinner, and most of us have been swimming in the frigid Pacific.

Here is how this morning looked for us- A group of 10 went and loaded 5 food gigantic trucks full of food to help the hungry on Saturday morning. A group of 8 did laundry with the Men's Discipleship group (see previous post for description of discipleship), and a group of 9 went to Skid Row to invite people to a free meal.

The food truck team labored hard and got to share some connection with each other, as well as some leaders from the Dream Center. One of the coolest parts of this trip is the amount of connections you make with brothers and sisters in Christ- all of which seem to have an incredible story.

I plan on posting a blog solely on "Skid Row" tonight- so for now I will talk about our laundry team (sounds exciting right?)! I saw a lot of eyes roll when I said laundry, just like I did the day before when people heard we were cleaning. But in the end, I heard one of my favorite stories so far. Some of the guys working on the laundry team were with some men from Discipleship, and this was their description of the day.

"Well, at first, we weren't very excited. It's just laundry, who wants to come to California to do that? But then, we made it a competition. And when we were hanging out with ________ (I can't remember his name) he started telling us about his life. They really aren't supposed to tell anyone, so he told us not to say anything, but it was SO COOL! I mean, we all have it so easy compared to these people. And I can't really say what he told us, but it was just amazing to see that God is powerful enough to bring a simple man out of a lifestyle that he chose. It's so much evidence that when God grabs on to someone, there is nothing they can do to stop it, no matter how much they want to!"

Laundry. Washing clothes on earth, building souls in the kingdom of Heaven. I will never do laundry the same. I don't think these kids will ever eat the same...It's a different world here, and we are learning so much from these people.

For crying out loud, it's just laundry, right? Wrong.

It's Thursday (but really Friday)

Here is the update for Thursday, but written on Friday. On Thursday morning we took part in a campus wide cleanup! I think the kids were a little shocked to be scrubbing toilets and floors all the way in California. Parents- feel free to use the advanced training the kids have gotten in this arena upon our return. The entire campus was under massive cleanup mode, and we got to pitch in a helping hand. Some of the girls hung out with members of female discipleship. The discipleship program at Dream Center is phenomenal. They take people in off the street and for at least one year this person has to wake up at 5 am every day, work, eat, read, memorize Scripture, and sleep. It is heavily structured and enforced in order to keep the members from the trouble they left behind. Most of them are recovering drug addicts and/or alcoholics. They all have incredibly unique stories of transformation from "broken and lost" to "redeemed and saved." The kids got to help them and hear some of their stories, but most of all take part in their lives. They came back without a lot of pictures, but full of memories and joy.

The second half of the day for most of us was a ministry called "Food Truck." It's simple- you fill a truck up with food, drive it to a location, unload it, put it in bags by category, and hand them to people who are hungry. It didn't take a whole lot of thought to come up with it- but as Pastor Tommy Barnett says, "See a need and meet it, see a hurt and heal it." These people saw a need that they could meet and they met it. So we got to go out and help hand out this food, speak, and pray with people; most of whom don't speak English anyways. The kids have a ton of stories on running around with little kids whose families were waiting in line, or talking with women and trying to plug their high school Spanish lessons back in. I think they have realized a few things on this trip:
1) How easy their life is.
2) How real hurt can be, even for people who haven't "thrown their lives away."
3) How easy it can be to touch someone's life- simply handing them a bag of green onions and 4 apples donated by a grocery store can light up their day.

I am going to post a blog of just pictures from this ministry up tonight, I hope. Thanks for following us, this has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.