Cross Bar X... Just a Camp

Cross Bar X. 

Just a camp?... A place kids come back from and tell how much fun they had??

 

Or a place they remember the rest of their lives? Well to be honest they will remember this place for the rest of their lives. And yes they always come back and gush with stories of the excitement they had and the friends they made or saw again. But this is more than just a fun camp. Much more. Let me share a quick story.

 

My name is Andy Parker and is my first year as a counselor  at Cross Bar X Youth Camp. This past week I had four campers in my cabin, Jack was seven years old while the other three were eleven and twelve years old. Having such a age difference within the same cabin caused problems the first day. While the older ones were unified, the seven year old was usually looking in from the outside to their little circle. It was difficult as a counselor to balance the attention given each one and at the same time try and relate to each age differently. All week I struggled with this until I heard God tell me to stop. Simply stop trying to be perfect as a counselor and just teach these kids the Gospel of Christ, the Good News of the Word. So that is what I did.

 

 

 

Friday morning the last day before camp was over I had John come up to me and ask me to show him exactly how to be a Child of God and receive salvation. I was blown away because all week John had been pushing off what I had been telling him about salvation and God's free gift to man, and yet here he was asking me to show him how to become a child of God!  So I asked John to tell me exactly what he wanted and what salvation was, he explained to me in words and an understanding better than I have heard any child ever explain what salvation is and how to be God's child forever. I had him pray first and it was a beautiful thing listening to a broken hearted eleven year old ask God to wash away his sin and adopt him as His son.  I cannot explain what it was like seeing God and GOD ONLY bring this young man to me asking to show hom how to be saved and knowing it was NOTHING I did but teach the Gospel!!!

 

Cross Bar X.

Just a camp ....or a place the Gospel lives and breathes in each one here?? 

 

This is more than a camp....this is a place were God moves how He needs to and were we strive to give Him glory through everything!! AMEN!

Cooking Up the Love

Each and every week at Cross Bar X we are fed, served, and loved by volunteer cooks who give a week of their time and gifts to help us.

Carl and Denise are our volunteer cooks this week, they are starting their second week of service this summer and they served once last summer! Carl and Denise have 2 grown children and 5 grandchildren. They summer in Durango. Just recently they got evacuated from their home outside of Mancos, CO due to a wildfire there. God just so happened to have arranged it so that they could join us again, stay busy and not dwell too much on the fears of the fire.

Here is my interview with Denise...

How did you learn about Cross Bar X and our need for cooks?

One Sunday we were at the church we attend in Durango and our pastor made an announcement welcoming the staff of Cross Bar X and prayed over them. He encouraged others to learn about CBX and to get involved with the ministry at CBX and so we approached either Tim or Joy and learned the biggest need that they had was for volunteer cooks. So we signed up and did our first week a year ago this week!

Have you ever served at a camp or in a similar capacity, cooking for large groups?

NO! Never. We really had no idea what we were doing or even planned on serving in this way. But it has all worked out amazing!

What is challenging about being a volunteer cook at Cross Bar X?

Timing. Definately timing and maintaining tempature.

We really want the food to be fresh and hot when the campers and counselors walk in... not getting dry or cold. That really is the biggest challenge for us is knowing when to start stuff and how fast to cook it. The staff provides a lot of help and once you learn where things are it is easy.

What do you enjoy most about it?

Teasing the other kitchen staff! No, I really enjoy getting to talk and interact with the counselors who work with me, the support staff and the children! I love seeing people be happy and full of good food. Even today one of the campers remembered my name! It is only the second day of camp and she said, "I know you, you are Denise the cook!" I was floored and touched that she knew me and cared to remember me!

What is your favorite item on the menu to cook?

I enjoy the pizza, lasagna and the Zia Taco bowls... we actually made a sauce the first week we served this summer to serve on it... Carl likes spice. It was a big hit with the staff!  Here it is...

Cilantro Serrano Sauce

1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

3 serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

What would you say to those who are interested, but on the fence about being a volunteer cook?

Oh, I'd say... "It is just your time. That is all you need to bring!"

Have an attitude that says "I can do this, and this is going to be fun!"

What have you learned or seen through your weeks at Cross Bar X?

I've learned that I need to be thankful for the time, love and work that went into my food. I've actually started thanking chefs at restaurants we go to.

I also love to see how much children are loved and how much time and one on one interaction they get! Joy in our faith is clearing seen in everything that is done here at Cross Bar X!

Ellie's Life

(This post is written by Hillary, a second year counselor).

Pray for Ellie. This past week, I had the opportunity to counsel the most independent, strong, and determined eleven year-old girl I have ever met. Ellie is a tomboy; her resilient and carefree personality clashed big time with the four other young girls in my cabin, who showed more concern towards the older boys’ cabin than I wanted them to.

This summer we are teaching the campers about the identity they can inherit as a child of God. Although Ellie has yet to start her first year of middle school, this girl knows her social identity. She is strong and able to defend herself. Because of her tomboyish style, Ellie gets bullied a lot in school. Her home life has also taught her to be tough and defensive. When Ellie opened up to me about her life at home, my heart began to hurt for her. A home ought to be a haven, but this is not the case for Ellie, whose family does not know Jesus, and whose residence is located in a dangerous neighborhood.

Because of the bullying Ellie has experienced in school, and because of the hard wall Ellie has built up around herself, she has a hard time making friends. Throughout the week, I had to address several issues with the young girls in my cabin regarding its division. It is hard for Ellie to convince herself that someone would want to be her friend. Thus when the other girls in my cabin would invite Ellie to join in their games, she often hung her head and declined.

While the Gospel was shared several times every day at camp, I think it was really hard for Ellie to receive the truth that God wants a relationship with her as His daughter, and that God would love her unconditionally—no matter what. While I have a family who has exemplified God’s love for me, Ellie does not. During the last day of camp, she and another camper were discussing how much they’d like to stay and live in Durango because “everyone is just so nice here, and no one is like this in Phoenix…everyone just cares about drugs.”

Ellie and another young girl in my cabin had been in several disagreements towards each other since their 10-hour bus ride to camp. But on the last night they both decided to have a sleepover together in the same top bunk (although, I did wake up the next morning with Ellie back in her own bed because “Faith kept stealing the covers”). They had also decided to have several “play dates” with each other this summer, and to make a “friendship bracelet for every time they got to hang out.”

I think one of the things God taught Ellie this past week at camp, is that she is capable of making friends with girls—even girly girls. But my prayer is that Ellie would soon understand that not only can her identity include being a friend with someone, but it can be found and rooted in the adoption of the Most High through Jesus Christ. Pray that God would show Ellie that the reason people in Durango are “so nice”, is because Jesus has changed their hearts, and shown them God’s unconditional love towards His children. Pray that the Gospel hits Ellie, and that she realizes that her Father in heaven loves her, and can protect and defend her better than she ever could.

Continuing Relationships

Hillary is a second year counselor who is also our Head Girl's Counselor. She shares about a camper who made a profession of faith last year and how she is growing in her faith due to CBX and Mentor Kids and the goal of continued relationships that both our organizations have!

Hey guys!
So this is my first week of counseling for the summer. 
It has been awesome to see campers from last year come back to camp this year.
I have Dulce in my cabin again. Last year I got to pray with her as she asked Christ to come into her life. It is crazy to see how much she has changed since last year. The shy, quiet Dulce I met and counseled a year ago, is now an outgoing, friendly leader in our cabin. I just had my one on one time with Dulce about an hour ago. I got to talk to her about her passed year. You can pray for Dulce because as a young christian, I think it is hard for her to focus on growing in her new relationship with Jesus. Pray that God puts godly friends and leaders into her life so that she can grow up understanding what a godly woman looks like. 


Thank you so much for your support and your prayers!
Hillary

Mentor Kids!!!

This week we started our second week of camp with Mentor Kids from the Phoenix area!!!
This is one of our favorite camps of the summer. Along with all the other amazing kids we have multiple campers who are refugees from south east Asia.

Please pray for clear communication.
That language barriers are crossed and that our counsellors are able to connect with all their campers.
Pray that the universal message of hope and wholeness that the Gospel gives us is understood by all our campers this week!

Intro Video

Sit back, relax, enjoy some popcorn... 

Introducing CBX 2012 Staff!!!

Every summer we do an "intro" video to introduce the staff members to the campers. This year's theme is Identity... and we are using a spy theme. Lets just say, we are having some fun with it!!! As you can see!

2 on 2: Two Counselors on Day Two

Counselor #1... Chris
Hey, Chris here! During the first night at camp I had a 10 year old male camper who has never been to Cross Bar X before.  From the minute he got here he was having tons of fun and getting along really well with the rest of the guys in our cabin.  The first night game we played was capture the flag and as you probably know, the sneakier you are the better.  This new camper was wearing tennis shoes that lit up every time he took a step so he was far from sneaky.  We played a round of campers versus staff and he got tagged several times in a row.  The other kids were making fun of him and his shoes and he was discouraged to the point of crying.  Before I even had the chance to comfort him and try to cheer him up the other boys in my cabin were already there telling him what an awesome job he was doing and how cool they thought his shoes were.  Even though I already knew I was going to have an amazing week with these boys, this event sealed the deal.  I was so proud of those boys and ever since then they have been even more amazing than they were the first night!  I love my cabin and this camp!

Pray for Chris this week...

Counselor #2... Maria

Hey everyone! I’m Maria and this my first summer at CBX and it’s been 24 hours since my first campers arrived! So much has already happened- it’s amazing to see what God can do in so little time. I think one of my favorite moments so far happened this morning in our cabin time when one girl, Maggie Mae, shared about a close family member passing away and the pain she was still dealing with. Without hesitation, another girl in our cabin, Delilah, subtly responded “I’ll pray for you.” Delilah’s response to Maggie was such a sweet moment of witnessing the child like faith that Jesus talks about. I am continually blown away by the vessels of wisdom that my girls are and how much the Lord has taught me through them. And I have to remind myself it’s only been a day! I am so grateful for this opportunity to share my life with these campers and be stretched and grown in ways that can only happen in an atmosphere like this. God has been so faithful and I can’t wait to see the different ways He continues to show me His goodness and glory. Thank you for all of your prayers and support so far, I really appreciate them.

Pray for Maria this week...

Camp Has Begun!!!

After 2 amazing weeks of staff training camp has officially begun!

We are so thrilled to have the camp filled with little people, having fun and hearing the good news of hope through Jesus Christ and His amazing love for us. This summer our theme is IDENTITY. Our endeavor is to help children understand more fully who God is, who they are and the good news of the Gospel.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who as called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 

1 Peter 2:9

Here is a short introduction of the amazing summer counseling staff that has joined us for Summer 2012.

The Ladies

Hillary - 2nd year staff, and current head girls counselor.

Carley - 1st year staff studying social work.

Krista - 1st year staff who visited CBX last year for a college program and fell in love with the idea of what CBX does!

Maria - 1st year staff who was a camp kid who spent much of her childhood at a camp in So Cal.

Maddie - 1st year staff who learned about CBX from a local pastor.

The Guys

Jon - 4th year staff, leading SALT (our older teen service and leadership program) and is our current head boys counselor.

Tyler - 1st year staff who met Marci in Uganda.

Chris - 1st year staff who is taking a break from youth pastoring.

Andy - 1st year staff who learned about CBX from a former counselor.

Keith - 2nd year staff who is now a "local" and going to Fort Lewis.

Brady - 2nd year staff who joined us late, but is fitting in like he was never gone!

(There are MANY others who have joined us... we'll introduce them later!)

We are so thankful that God has placed these 11 people in our community, that we can live, learn, grow and be sanctified together and through each other! God is good to finish the work he has started in us!

Please pray for each of these staff as many are starting their first full day at camp with campers!

Pray that they take every opportunity to share the love and message of peace with their campers. 

Pray for safety and wellness as we all live and serve together!