Choices - Missions

Passport Choices is unique in that the students decide when they arrive at camp how they will spend their choices time - 11am-2:30pm. There are nine different choice opportunities ranging from missions to music, drama to Soul Food (a cooking track that emphasizes hospitality). Within the missions "choice" there are 4 different missions opportunities.

I have been assigned to drive the bus for missions group 2. Every day we go to a local park called Creft Park. We then send Passport students and chaperons into the surrounding areas to collect the children and bring them to the park for 2 hours of play, crafts, basketball, face paint, games, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the kids we get to work with every day, along with the two Second Baptist youth who are in missions 2 - Jacob McKee and Wesley Owens.

Everyday we are blessed by the children from these neighborhoods. Already they have shown us so much love and trust. There has been a Passport missions group coming to this park every week for the past 6 weeks. We get to benefit from their hard work and faithful service. The children immediately trust us and the parents are happy to send them out every day to play with us at the park. They love to get piggy-back rides and are not bashful in their requests for a ride. Most of the time they simply say - "Put me on your back!" And we are glad to oblige.

Today one of the young children did not speak any English and Wesley, knowing a little Spanish, was happy to befriend him and help him communicate with the rest of our Passport group.

Flashback - 60's Dance Party

This year's theme for the Tuesday night dance was the 1960's. As usual, our students did not disappoint. Time was well spent shopping a Goodwill, tie-dying t-shirts, and "bumping" hair. We were a groovy lookin group.

We had a good variety of 60's fashion. One highlight from was the Scooby-Doo inspired group of Jamison, Sarah, Lindsey, and Preston. Not only were their outfits great - they were so great that they won "Best Outfit" at the dance. You will remember, this is now a distinction which Jamison Lloyd has held for 2 years in a row!

The Scooby-Doo crew after winning their prestigious award!

Temp Tats for Missions

Our apartment of completed 9th and 11th grade girls have found a fun and creative way of filling their free time this week. They have opened up “Temp-Tats” A temporary tattoo parlor. Passport campers can come by outside their front door and get their choice from a variety of pirate, games, rock-roll, and other themed tattoos.

They are accepting $.25 donations for each tattoo and all donations will go to the Passport missions offering collected at the end of the week.

It is a great way to meet people from camp and raise money for missions. I am writing this post from the Temp-Tats parlor and there is a line of 6+ “customers” from other churches waiting for their tattoos. They have nearly sold out of their initial inventory and a new stock of tattoos is in route from Walmart.

The word is spreading and the popularity is growing. What a neat idea!!

Camp Photos - Login

Every day Passport staff is posting pictures on the Passport camper photos area of the Passport website. You can check out this weeks pictures by going to -

http://www.passportcamps.org/campphoto/files/wingate6.php

The login word is "sole" - currently they have posted pictures from Sunday - of our groups as we arrived, of each of the Bible study groups and of our adult leaders. It looks like there is maybe a 1 day delay in their posts.

Wet, Wild and Crazy Kids!

Tonight’s evening activity was a Rec competition. All the Bible study groups competed against each other in messy, wet relay race events. Upon arriving at camp our students were assigned to Passport Bible study groups. Their group ID is stamped inside their Passport - Red Triangle 53, Black Circle 81, Blue Square 46, etc. Everyone had a great time and the winning team was Red Triangle 53 - there are a bunch of Second Baptist Students in that group. Check out the video of Alex DeCapri and Jamison Lloyd going down the giant slip-n-slide.

Trust!

Our four theme words for this week are Trust-Follow-Share-Serve.

At Passport, the theme is presented each morning with a scripture passage during our morning quite time devotions. The theme and scriptures are then emphasized during our opening assembly, Bible studies, choice group discussions, evening worship service, and church group night time devotions.

Throughout the day our students have been thinking about and talking about their trust in God. Our scripture passage was Matthew 6:25-34. During Bible study and devotion times we talked about the times when it is difficult to trust God and how we know we can always trust him to work out his purpose in our lives. What a great theme to start the week with!

We have arrived!

We have safely arrived at Passport Choices in Wingate, NC. Our group consists of 30 youth and 6 adult chaperons. We are looking forward to a great week. We have had dinner and are preparing for opening celebration.

Thank you for your prayers. More pictures and updates to come throughout the week.