Pure Joy - by Jessica Cooper

I have never experienced a greater joy than to be overtaken by the power and love of the Lord. There is truly nothing like it. Here at Camp Gilead, these moments of splendor happen on a regular basis, at least for me. The Lord blessed me with an incredible cabin filled with 12 lovely ladies. I had no idea that I was capable of loving newfound friends so quickly. We built relationships, friendships and bonds that I pray will last a lifetime. It was my first week of being a counselor here at C+G, and I totally enjoyed all of it.

On Friday after morning chapel all of the camp spread out and had some silent solo time to reflect on the week, pray, read the Word, and just meditate on what we learned this week. Directly following, one of my campers came up to me and said, “Well, I was bored for part of it but the other half I made some decisions. I am going to try hard to live to glorify the Lord in all I do and work harder to please Him. Also I realized that this is the first time I have ever had true joy.  I just love camp! I am surrounded by strong Christians teaching me in the way I should go, wonderful friends, good food and all the activities are so much fun!! I don’t want to leave tomorrow!”

I was blown away! This came from the silent girl in my cabin, and it was like she read my mind perfectly! I felt the same way about Camp Gilead! The experience here literally is the best. I have been majorly encouraged by the testimonies and friendship of my fellow staff and the leaders. I have only spent three weeks here but it feels like months have gone by. We are a family. I feel so blessed to have 5 weeks left here at camp, and dread the day when I have to pack it all up. But God is good and is moving and changing lives at this camp. One of my favorite things here at chapel is to just stand in the middle of chapel and listen to the kids sing around me, praising the name of Jesus. It is one of the most beautiful sounds.

Jessica Cooper

Counselor - Cabin 0

Isaiah 55:12 says: "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

First Week Perfections - by Joey Parkinson

Howdy!  My name is Joey Parkinson and I am the counselor of cabin 16. To start I just want to say that this week has been amazing in every way. At the beginning of this year I had no idea that I would be sitting here in the lodge at Camp Gilead writing to all of you about how God has been working this last week in my life and in the life of my campers.  Last Saturday, after all of the family campers had left, we as counselors were finally able to move into our own cabins for the summer.  It seemed like I had waited forever, when reality it had only been two weeks (staff training and family camp) before we could move into our cabins. As I opened that cabin door it finally hit me.  This was MY cabin in which God had given me and over the next six weeks of camp I would be the counselor of THIS cabin.

It may seem like a small deal but I began to realize that I would be the counselor instead of the camper. Instead of me looking to the counselor for strength and help, these campers would be looking to me for guidance and to be their moral compass for the week.  At this point I realized how unprepared I was for camp to start. After all of  staff training I still felt inadequate in what God had called me to be this summer. 

At the beginning of this week I had so many preconceived notions about how God was going to use me. Boy was I wrong!  This first week as a counselor has been amazing and God has blessed me with a great group of junior high kids.  But the story of this week seems to be that in my weakness, God is the almighty God of the universe who controls all things, knows all things, and who has a plan for everything. So instead of First Week Perfections, the main theme of this Blog should be "God is in Control".

As I look toward the rest of this summer, I wish that I could have a pause button so that I would be able to savor each moment in which God has worked through me throughout this first part of the week. I am really looking forward to seeing God’s perfection in my weakness and how he works in not only me but the rest of the staff this summer :)

To Him Who Controls All Things – Jeremiah 29:11

Joey Parkinson

Counselor - Cabin 16

Reflections on Family Camp - by Tom Ruhlman

It was great to be back at Family Camp last week at Gilead!  I missed last year because of a missions trip to South Africa. Family Camp has been a major part of my life and the life of my whole family.  Tim Baker brought a wonderful series on the book of Leviticus and the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the Day of Atonement.  Sounds boring?  You obviously weren't there, because he made the text vivid!  Were were right in the Tabernacle with him standing before the altar, and could almost smell the barbeque. 

What I enjoyed the most was to see all of the pastors with their people.  Jim Saunders from Connell, Jim Mailloux from Richland, Doug Johnston from Redmond, Tim Baker from Salem, and me from Shoreline.  I would encourage all of the pastors to bring a group of their people out to camp next year and live with them for 6 days.  You will learn a lot about them, and they will learn a lot about you!

The preaching, worship, good food (with no cooking or cleanup), and all the fun might be "just what the doctor ordered" for a church family.  What a joy to meet people from so many different churches!  Becky and I attended the first Family Camp at Gilead in 1974.  We had no children!  We continued to attend, year after year with all eight of our children, only missing a couple times over the last 38 years.  The impact on me, my wife, my children, and my church has been gargantuan!  Church members, why don't you have your church pay your pastor's way to Family Camp next year!  And don't count it as part of his vacation!  You will all reap the benefits of a week at Family Camp with your pastor.  His wife and children will appreciate it too! 

 If you are considering having a family reunion, why don't you plan for the week of the Fourth of July at Camp Gilead and reserve a row of rooms for your families?  I have seen that happen many times over the years.  Inexpensive compared to hotels and resorts, and great fellowship, food, fishing, swimming, preaching, and worship.  There are children's programs both morning and evening.

In Christ,

Tom Ruhlman

Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church - Shoreline WA

P.S. Oh, and by the way, it was also nice to see my daughter Kimberly, and son-in-law, Josh, and my grandkids Josiah, Luke, Noah, Reuben, Judah, Laura, and ? on the way.

waiting for it - by Kimberly Mallory

Have you ever had to wait for something?  Of course you have.  We wait in line, we wait for lunch, we wait for Christmas to come.  But remember the feeling of waiting to go somewhere so exciting ... like camp? 

I can remember as a little girl waiting for my week of camp.  I had already spent the last few months mentally packing because I knew I wouldn't be allowed to REALLY start packing until it was closer.  I had also mentally rehearsed all the possible variations of the first day of camp.  The arrival, meeting the counselor, meeting the new cabin mates, what activities we might do, what bunk I might sleep on and the list goes on. 

The night before camp was almost unbearable.  To actually KNOW you'd be leaving for camp in the morning didn't allow for much uninterrupted sleep.  I would wake up several times in the night hoping I hadn't missed my alarm, wondering if I had forgotten something in my already packed suitcase and rethinking yet again about just what outfit I would wear that first day of camp. 

Finally, the alarm went off and it was time to get up.  Then it seemed that time seemed to drag on in super slow motion.  I had already gotten dressed, gotten ready and eaten breakfast in record time ... and it still wasn't time to leave yet!  How was it possible that on school mornings there was NEVER enough time to get ready???

As the moments sluggishly passed, it was finally time to get things into the car and begin the 45 minute drive to Camp Gilead.  My heart and stomach almost couldn't handle the excitement.  Whether it was Family Camp or Kids Camp, it didn't matter.  The excitement was still the same.  As we left our neighborhood, we would pass familiar landmarks that indicated we were THAT MUCH CLOSER!

Then came those last few miles.  I can still remember almost feeling sick to the point of ... well ... you know.  As we grew nearer and nearer we would call out those landmarks ... the bend in the road, that one sign, the dairy farm, and then a few last turns before we would finally "see the Camp Gilead sign."  There were always more turns than I would remember, and the Camp Sign FINALLY appeared after making one last turn! 

If it was family camp ... my siblings and I would compete to see who could "see it and say it first."  If it was kids camp, I would inform my friends coming to camp with me about the "long standing tradition of seeing & saying it first." 

There was the Camp Gilead sign, and we were ENTERING THE CAMP!  My nerves were on end, I was so excited!  There were the staff!  Some familiar faces ... and some NEW ones!  Who were they?  Who would MY counselor be?  Ahhh....it had finally arrived! 

As we got out of the car ... it was all I could do to just RUN to Pops Inn to register and find out all of the answers to my questions.  But ... I definitely couldn't do that.  Definitely not cool.  So ... I calmly and casually got out of the car and began one of the most fun and looked forward to weeks of my life.

And THAT my friends is what is happening to many many campers this morning.

Welcome Day Campers and Junior High Resident campers!

Kimberly Mallory
Camp Gilead Program Director

HELLO ... DAY CAMPERS! - Chantel Jones

HELLO DAY CAMPERS!!! This will be my 2^nd year of having the privilege of working with Day Campers at Camp Gilead. I absolutely love working with young kids and working in Camping Ministry. I love the way young kids have a thirst for learning and the capability to understand and know our Personal Savior.

This summer we will be having 5 Day Camps and over 70 Day Campers who will be coming out to camp this summer. Seventy plus campers will be hearing the Good News about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am honored and blessed to be a part of this wonderful ministry and can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in the lives of these young people.

Each week we will have a youth group from the area that will come to serve as our Day Camp counselors, please be praying for them as they prepare to come and serve the Lord for a week at Camp Gilead. It is always fun to see how each group works differently, but how we all have the same desire and goal, to make the Lord known to these kids.

Please be praying for the campers and that staff as this summer continues on, that the workers would speak clearly and that the kids would have open hearts to hear it and be able to understand how much the Lord truly loves them and His desire to be in a relationship with them all.

God is good! And I pray He does a mighty thing this summer. Thank you for all your prayers. God bless!

Chantel Jones

Camp Gilead Day Camp Director

differences ... are good! - by Josh Pagel

What an opportunity I have been given this summer! This is my second summer here at Camp Gilead and I am so blessed to be serving as program staff, and taking on a more significant leadership role for this summer. Although I am still so excited to see campers grow in Christ and see what God has in store for all of them this year, much of my focus will be with guiding and leading the guys staff, while at the same time growing and learning with them.

To me it so incredible the staff and specifically the men on staff that God has provided. We are all so unique and our circumstances as to how we got here differ, we have different personalities, likes and dislikes. This could sound like a recipe for disaster to some, and it might be if it is not for one BIG thing that bonds us all, and that bond is the most powerful thing in the universe. That bond is the God of the universe, the creator of all things holy and good. We have the bond of serving, worshipping, and being called by the same God. A God that can break down barriers, and soften the hearts of the staff so that we can glorify him in all that we do.

I see so many parallels between the guys that are here on staff this summer and the disciples Jesus called. He called fisherman, tax collectors, and men from all different segments of society, each bringing their own strength and weaknesses to the ministry of Jesus. That is exactly what is going on here at Gilead this summer, different men, being called by God to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ. When as a staff we put our differences aside, love one another, and let God take control, we can witness eternity changing for so many campers.

For His glory,

Josh Pagel

Program Staff 

the Gilead community...by Aimee Parkinson

Another summer filled with campers coming to Christ, an amazing staff, lack of sleep and immense spiritual growth. I’m so excited that the Lord opened up yet another summer that I get to spend at Camp Gilead. I had no plans to originally work at camp, because I was graduating from college in May. However the Lord had different plans and opened the door for me to be here again this summer. I am so excited to be the girls head counselor and be able to pour into their lives this summer.

Last week and into this week we have had staff training. It has been so cool to see how the Lord has brought an amazing group of people together as a team. Even just last night we had a chance as just a girl’s college staff to hangout and spend time together. There is just something about not having the guys around, but just the girls sharing and being open and honest with one another. It was cool to just have a time of bonding and building relationships with each other for the summer. We shared about fears, excitements, perceptions and how we could be a support team to each other throughout the summer. We shared prayer requests about burdens on our hearts and prayed for each other. Even after we were done meeting and praying none of the girls wanted to leave, but we just all hung out laughing and telling stories to each other late into the night.  It was such a blessing to my heart to hear people share and uplift each other as we chatted about the summer ahead.

One of the biggest things for a summer of ministry is to have a strong community of people who are there for one another. Each and every one has different strengths and weaknesses that we are all able to lean on and utilize as a community. Especially as exhaustion sets in and spiritual warfare is more prominent it is key to have people encouraging one another and lifting each other up. It is a beautiful picture of how each person has a uniquely different personality, but how the Lord puts together an amazing team to compensate for each other with different strengths and weaknesses.

I am anticipating an amazing summer and praying for the Lord to bring many campers to Christ this summer. I am also excited to pour into the girl staff as the Lord stretches and grows each one of them this summer. The unity of us as a body to keep each other accountable and love each other is so important for all us staff as we pour into many students who will be coming to camp each and every week.

Continue to pray for us as a staff that the Lord will be working in each of our lives that we will be able to continue to build a strong community and that the Lord would use each and every one for his glory this summer as we pour into the lives of the campers as we share Christ’s love. Pray that the Lord would be working on the campers hearts who will be coming to Camp this summer and that the Lord will do amazing things in their lives through their week spent here at summer.

God has some amazing things planned for the summer and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. I’m stoked to see all that the Lord will do as he uses all the staff this summer!

Serving an Awesome Savior,

Aimee Parkinson
Girls Head Counselor

1 Cor 12:25-27         . . . .… there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 

1 Th 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”