Healing of the Heart

Written by Hillary

The power of God is huge. Throughout the New Testament we see how Jesus has the ability to completely heal the crippled, the diseased, and the hopeless sinners. This past girls Red Hawk, I saw how Jesus can miraculously heal the brokenhearted. Last year I got to know a lot of the high school girls that come to Cross Bar X, and many of them shared their story with me. These girls’ stories are not easy to hear—they are full of brokenness and hurt. Their stories are a testimony to how dark and unfair this world is, but many of them are also a testimony to how powerful and active the Spirit of God is when we cast our burdens onto Him.

Last year I met a camper who was so crippled by her anger, she barely spoke to anyone. This young lady was very reserved; it was difficult for anyone to form a relationship with her because her intimidating character was hard to approach. She seemed untouchable. Yet this did not stop the counselors from talking to her and praying with and for her. Throughout the year, she continued to keep in touch with many of us.

I was blown away by how much this girl had changed in just a year.  Unlike last summer, she became friends with nearly every girl at camp. She was talkative, and laughed often. She was a major leader in her cabin. When I asked her why she was so different than the girl I remembered from last year, she told me that it was because God has helped her to forgive her father for the permanent hurt he caused she and her family. Later she asked me to help her find scripture to help her learn to forgive.

This girl’s drastic change in character is a major example to me of how Jesus is still mending and healing lives, just like He did while He was walking on earth. What anyone would consider to be a permanent crippling on a girl’s heart has been lifted and restored. Although she will always be working towards forgiving her earthly father, God is showing her that her new identity is found in her perfect, Holy and Heavenly Father—a Father who is full of grace, and fully capable of giving her His Spirit of grace and forgiveness.

As I and the other counselors continue to talk to this young girl, we realize that she still goes in and out of suffering, and succumbing to the pain her father has caused. Pray that God will continue to pull her out of that pit of self-doubt and self-pity. When I think of what God can do through this young lady, I get so excited. God can do so much through her and her story. Pray that she continues to give God all of her heart and all of her life.

The Gospel

We've been showing this video every week. 

Good stuff!

Prayer Requests

We have an amazing group of high school boys with us this week... we are actually in our last 2 of 10 days with them!

Join us in praying for our counselors: Brady, Keith, Tyler, Andy and Chris as they lead, disciple and love these young men.

Pray for safety and health.

Praise for a great time of bonding during the backpacking trip.

Pray for good communication for our campers who's first language is not English.

Pray for our final 2 days with these boys and that they would seek out every opportunity to know and experience God.

2 Stories By 2 Staff

Story #1

By Maddie

When talking about home I expressed with some of the staff that I was pretty sad I would be missing the beginning of harvest and all the excitement that comes with it. I tell you this because after this story you will realize as I did that an Iowa harvest is nothing in comparison to having the blessing of witnessing a Jesus harvest.  Allison was a wiry blond haired girl filled with spunk and so much charisma it was practically coming out her ears! I was excited to have her in my cabin and get to know her better. She jumped right in being very vocal during cabin times and praying when volunteers were needed. I didn’t give much thought to this when past staff began to tell me that she had barely spoken two words to them in the past 3 years she had attended camp. I still can hardly imagine an Allison that hardly speaks. It was awesome to see how much she had grown in the past year into a young lady seeking out the truth in all ways she could! Fast forward to a cold, damp tent filled with 6 exhausted girls huddled together discussing the nights Bible lesson. The girls were beyond tired and conversation was running low when I threw out the question “Okay girls what’s going through your heads what has this week got you thinking about?” “ I have a question.” Allison said as she raised out of bed so fast we all couldn’t help but start laughing! She then began to tell me about how she has heard all her years at camp about Jesus but she didn’t realize she could ask him in her heart. “I always thought I was good, I said I sinned but really I thought what I did wasn’t that bad but after this week I just feel gross cuz I know how much sin I really have.” She accepted Christ right there in that musty tent with the sound of rain drops for applause and hugs from her cabin mates. I sat there shocked, to shocked to cry or hardly move although I managed some hoots and hollers that could have shook the mountains. God is so good, he never ceases to amaze me. I was telling the male counselors all about it when they came to visit us that night and I was jumping up and down for joy when Keith stopped me and said, “Hey ya know how you said you were sad you were missing harvest? How cool is it that God let you witness a harvest this summer.” WOW! I hadn’t even thought about that and am so blessed to not only be able to witness a harvest but to have an amazing CBX family to not only enjoy it with but savor and thank God for every minute of it. I may never see Allison in person again-but boy it’ll be a great day in heaven when we are reunited!

Story #2

By Maria

This past week I had the privilege of having five of the sweetest and most ingenious young ladies. My girls ranged in age from 12-17, so I had been praying for cabin unity the first few days of camp, and I was assured that it would happen during our backpacking trip. During our morning lesson on Saturday the rain started to come down so everyone rushed inside the tents until we could come back out. During this time, one might think that since we are in Jesus lesson mode that our discussion would be based on the scriptures we were reading. Well, that idea lasted approximately 4 minutes and consisted mostly of me reading the Bible until God answered a prayer. Due to the inclement weather, the temperature was rather brisk so I was in my sleeping bag trying to keep warm. I don't know how this next series of events transpired, but before I knew it there were four girls on top of me, one running to the kitchen area to get rope, then I was zipped out of the sleeping bag and hog-tied. I like to think that my cries for help were drowned out by the howling laughter of my girls because no one came to the tent for the five minutes I was inside. Just when I thought I would be shown mercy I heard, "Let's take her outside!" Within about 30 seconds of that idea being born I was in the middle of the camp hog-tied in my penguin onesie. After all of the other tents had their windows opened and got a few good laughs my girls threw my rain coat on my head and ran back in our tent. I did my best to waddle and roll my way over so I was finally back inside and by some miracle and strong teeth I untied myself. It was the story that all my girls, plus the whole camp talked about and so I learned two things: God answers prayers and God has a sense of humor.

A Story of God's Plan - Girls Red Hawk

Written by Counselor Carley

            This past week I was able to council five high school aged young women.  I was so excited for this opportunity, yet extremely nervous.  Going from the falcon camps, in which I was working with very young girls, to Red Hawk seemed like a huge jump to me.  I was worried about how to be a counselor to my girls without seeming to baby them.  However, things seemed to be going pretty well for the first couple of days.  My cabin didn’t open up as quickly as my younger ones had and I was finding myself discouraged.  I felt like I wasn’t getting through to them at all and like I had failed them as a counselor.  I took my feelings of discouragement to God and tried to keep in mind that he doesn’t need me to work in these girls lives, I am just given the privilege of doing so. God is going to do what he wants to do and I’m just along for the ride.  With this in mind I devoted myself to simply loving these girls and asking God to work through me. 

             We left for the backpacking trip and overall came back a stronger, more unified cabin.  I was so pleased.  However, on Monday I noticed that one of my girls, Laura, was slipping into a really bad mood.  She began rolling her eyes, disrespecting me, and gossiping about me.  By this time I was exhausted and really struggling to put up with her antics.  On Tuesday I pulled her aside to try and talk to her about what was going on.  I knew that she struggled with depression and was on various medications so I was trying to find the line between disciplining her and also understanding that there was a lot more going on than just an angry attitude.  Our talk went horrible, at least to me it seemed that way.  Laura unloaded all of her angry thoughts and feelings on me.  I could see her really struggling with her home situation, her mom is a drug addict, her father is dead and she has to live with her grandma.  I knew that she was just an angry little girl who was taking out her anger and disappointment on me but it was still hard to not take it personal when she began attacking me personally.  She stormed off, leaving me in tears and feeling like an utter failure.  I again tried to give these feelings to God and decided to just love Laura like Jesus did.  God truly gave me the strength to be patient with her disrespect and to love her despite her attitude.

              The next morning I had said goodbye to all of the kids except for one named Grace.  As we were waiting for her to be picked up she started crying and saying she hated camp.  Both I and another counselor found out that our girls had been in fights for the last couple days of camp and that was what was upsetting Grace so much.  Her mom came to pick her up and I found that I had no time to address this new situation.  I gave her a quick talk about not letting others words affect her and encouraged her to remember her identity was in Christ and not in what these girls were saying about her.  I hugged her and she left.  Within 12 hours I had seen my cabin fall apart and had had no time to address the situation.  I felt like such a failure.

                Yesterday the boys Red Hawk camp began.  Grace’s brother was getting dropped off and she had come with.  I was leaving the staff lodging when I heard my name called out and looked up to see Grace running towards me.  She gave me a huge hug and was genuinely glad to see me.  She said she was excited for camp next year and talked to me about her summer break.  I was amazed that this girl who hated camp and had left crying was so excited and talkative just a week later.  It just reminded me that loving these girls is not in vain, even though at times I feel like it is.  My girls didn’t seem to respond to what I was saying or the love I was trying to show them, however, seeing Grace showed me that God is using me to make an impact on these girls’ lives, even if it doesn’t seem like anything is happening.   As the details of camp drama fade from my girl’s memories I believe that they will remember what is important, that I loved them and more so that Jesus loves them.

Maddie's Cabin

This post was written by Counselor Maddie about her cabin last week....

I had no idea what God had in store for me when I was first introduced to my campers Monday night-little did I know I would be blessed enough to watch God transform three little girls lives. On the first day of camp we talked about sin in all three cabin times and each time 3 out of my 4 girls thought they hardly ever sinned and had no need for a savior. I was desperately in prayer and discouraged by what my small mind thought the week might hold. After the lesson time on Monday, I had one on one time with one of my campers and she asked if she could ask Jesus to forgive her sins and come into her heart! I couldn’t believe my ears I was so stinking excited! She prayed an amazingly heartfelt prayer and immediately after asked if we could get to catching turtles. I could only pray and hope that her heart was truly changed, God was so amazing and gracious and revealed to me later how amazing and truthful decision she had truly made. 

The same little girl asked to pray for our night cabin time. To my astonishment she prayed for the other girl’s hearts in the room and that they would let Jesus into their hearts so he could make them white as snow like he had made hers earlier that day! I was overjoyed and thought that the night could not get any more amazing when I opened my tear filled eyes to another one of my campers arms raised in the air. She asked if she could ask Jesus to forgive her sins so she could be a child of God also! I was in awe of Gods amazing power at this point and could barely talk, but was so privileged to listen to an amazing prayer of a little Girl asking her Father to come into her heart. I spent the remainder of the night tackling counselors and showering people with excitement! Two of my girls who earlier could hardly recognize the sin in their lives had now become children of God by nightfall! God is amazing-but the story doesn’t end there. I had one last of my campers who questioned if God was real because her friends believe he isn’t. She thought it was unfair that sin is equal in Gods eyes because she doesn’t sin THAT much. 

Well, that night after I had read a story and just said "Amen," finishing our good night prayer, I heard a quiet voice coming from that same hardened little girl say "teacher, could I say something to God really quick?" well you can’t say no to something like that so I said of course and she then repeated this sweet incredibly unexpected prayer from her lips "Hey Jesus, I’m sorry for all the sins I’ve committed and I don’t want a black heart anymore, please come in and let me be a child of God. Amen." 

God is so good!! He is beyond good, and I should know that nothing is impossible with our God! I am so incredibly thankful to have been able to witness such an amazing heart change in my girls! It’s Thursday and all they have spend the entire day talking about is how they are now children of God! AMEN

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