“So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” Acts 6:2

There is a lot to running a camp like this.  I am writing today to say that as a team, everyone here is Hegyesd is doing well.  There are 8 of us, and translators have joined our team which brings our number to twelve.   We live in close quarters and I (Joan Tierney) am more than twice the age of the next oldest member.  It is pure joy to see the young people of The Orchard so on fire for the Lord.

They are all so kind to campers and translators alike–each one is hungry for the word of God, and all of them laugh loudly and sing for no reason at all.  The daily chores fall together effortlessly.  Our broom broke in half and it makes me laugh to see our pretty young ladies squatting over with a two foot broom sweeping feverishly.  This is a very busy camp experience.  Between running the camp and taking care of our own daily needs we seldom have a minute to ourselves, but the Lord has sustained us and kept us in good spirits.

This is Dillon’s first year running the camp as our team leader, and it is a joy to see this fine young pastor taking charge of the spiritual welfare of both the campers and the camp.  Sometimes we call him “Dad” because he always drives us in the van and we have to ask him before we put cookies in the shopping cart.  Dillon is connecting with the campers and the parents here really like him. This week we were invited into homes and Shaun, who arranges the visits, said that Dillon could be at different home every night because so many families want to visit with him.  The sermons have been spiritually enriching, and worship music is amazing.

We all needed our restful weekend to get ready to start camp again on Monday. Everyday it’s great fun to see the kids showing up because we all feel like we were greeting old friends.  Some of them are old friends.  Krista was talking to a 16 year old student and saying, “I met you when you were 12.”  They reminisced and talked about what a cute little tyke she was.  The relationships formed here are real. You can quickly see how much it means to the students that they see familiar faces and can spend time with Christians who really love them.

I wish every member of The Orchard could see what a wonderful missions project this is.  Everyday we have the opportunity to preach the Word of the Lord clearly to 70 campers, most of whom have NO EXPOSURE to the Gospel beyond this camp.  Forty-four of our students are returning campers.  Many profess faith in Christ through difficult circumstances, and limited contact with true believers once we head home. One girl who prayed to accept Jesus last year was asked how her year had been. She said, “Sometimes things are still bad but now I’m not alone. Now I’m happy.”

Thank you for praying for God’s precious Hungarian people. A church will someday take root here in rural Hungary, and The Orchard is working hard to be sure it is a church that honors our Lord and Savior.

Joan