Manifest Hope Camp

It’s been quite the long weekend but things have finally calmed down a bit for us this morning. Praise God that we have had the energy for everything He has called us to do so far and for the rest He gave us on Monday.  So, what have we been up to that has caused this little break from blogging? It was Manifest Hope Camp.  On Thursday morning, we headed to South Padre Island to begin the camp. Months of back planning had been going on before we even knew about the camp. They had been setting up hotel reservations, scheduling our speaker, and getting a lot of other planning, event scheduling, and graphic work done. When we arrived at La Quinta, where the event was to be held, our team quickly unloaded our very very very packed bus and had everything including a full sound system set-up well under the time constraints we had. Students from all over the Valley soon started arriving and registering and we started to see the faces to the hearts that God would soon touch. The event started, we played some games, the band played, and Gabe Salazar, our guest speaker, spoke. We had no idea that in that first night, we would see lives touched. As Gabe finished his sermon with the invitation and the band began to play in the background, students began to come forward crying, happy, broken, and changed. For the next three days we saw this time and time again. By the end of the weekend, it seemed as though every young person that came realized something different was in store for their life. The three days were also filled with fun and excitement for all the youth and our group as well. We had some beautiful sand castles built including a huge whale, a very happy group of six youth that won a volleyball tournament, and plenty of quick games to get the blood flowing before the main sessions. Gabe Salazar even taught our group a new game called “Ninja.”  (Ask any of us about it and we will show you how to play.) Overall, through sleepiness, sunburns, and sand, God moved in ways we never could have expected. Sure, we expected a couple people to cry here and there, maybe someone to share a testimony about how bad they were before they met Jesus, but the overwhelming response from the youth that came forward really opened our eyes to how much God can do when a few of His servants get together to do His will.

-Brian Martinez