WARRIOR CAMP
Epic Games. Biblical Masculinity. Awesome God.
12.31.22
WARRIOR CAMP Update
Hello Warrior Nation!
I hope you’re enjoying a great New Year’s Eve, and that you’re excited for the year ahead! There’s something special, and almost magic about a New Year, its undiscovered potential, and the adventure, summits, and growth which surprise us, especially in our relationship and adventure with God.
It looks like 2023 will be that (and more) for WARRIOR CAMP. Over the last 2+ years WARRIOR CAMP has been blessed with some new and expanding ministry opportunities. And during this same time, we’ve also discovered that there is significant ministry growth potential in building a collaborative relationship with a like-minded Christian Camp Ministry Partner.
We’re affectionately calling this strategic pursuit, ‘WARRIOR CAMP’s Phase 2 Growth Venture'. This Growth Venture has been soaked in prayer for God’s guidance and wisdom, and involves WARRIOR CAMP partnering with, adding value to, and operating/ministering on the Campground of a Christian Camp Ministry Partner. (Relatedly, the new ministry opportunities that await via access to a Christian Campground are hard to miss and exciting to explore!). In pursuit of this Growth Venture, we’ve been prayerfully searching for a Christian Camp Ministry Partner with a passionate heart for God, a vision to effectively point this generation to Christ, and a venue/area conducive to WARRIOR CAMP’s growth. This Growth Venture also involves our respective Camp Ministries adding value to each other and doing more for the Kingdom together than we can apart. We believe this Growth Venture will unleash us to do even more of what God has put in our heart to do at WARRIOR CAMP.
As we’ve been praying, envisioning our Camp Ministry Partner, and reaching out to various Christian Camps domestically and abroad, we’ve experienced at a deeper level what it means to trust God and His timing. Even though I want them to, good things (and God-things) rarely happen on my schedule. And sometimes God’s provision looks very different than what we thought we wanted. I’m sure you and I have experienced the disappointment of one (or multiple) prayed-over doors closing … but then later followed by the surprise and celebration of a greater one opening! (How many times does this have to happen for me to permanently get it?) He’s got this. He always does. These experiences have God’s fingerprints all over them, and are further reminders of His goodness, purpose, provision, generosity, and sovereignty. And what He’s doing is always infinitely greater than anything I could have scripted!
Our journey of pursuing this Growth Venture has been no exception, and we worship God for who He is, and praise Him for what He’s doing! In our prayerful pursuit of this Growth Venture, one particular Camp has emerged! And God’s timing is truly unrivalled. This Camp is known as Woodend Christian Camp. Along the way, its Camp Manager and I have experienced a growing bond as brothers in Christ (Proverbs 27:17), and he has sensed God's favor upon our Camp Ministry Partnership as well. I’m excited and honored to share that as of December 2022, the beginning of our Phase 2 Growth Venture is a Green Light! The Board of Woodend Christian Camp and the Board of WARRIOR CAMP, have both unanimously approved WARRIOR CAMP to come explore and base from Woodend Christian Camp! During this 1st step, WARRIOR CAMP will base from and explore-with-intent-to-pursue a strong Phase 2 Camp Ministry Partnership with Woodend Christian Camp. WARRIOR CAMP will also be reaching out to area churches, schools, ministries, and students. Now here’s the surprising part…Woodend Christian Camp happens to be in New Zealand!
Words fall short. But speechless awe of God arises from down deep. This feels like a surreal and fantastic dream, long awaited ... and now coming into view on the horizon! This is definitely bigger than me. And it hits me like an inspiring flashback. After transferring to Liberty University as a sophomore to study Youth Ministry and later Apologetics, our Chancellor often challenged my classmates and I to find our ‘BHAG’. In case you’re curious, A ‘BHAG’ is an acronym that stands for ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’. As our visionary Chancellor would inspire us, we soon discovered that a BHAG is something that echoes God’s heart, and that is so much bigger than you or me that it won’t happen unless God makes it happen. And once you catch a God-sized vision like this, there’s no going back.
Recently, I’ve been inspired with a like-minded question that we see inseparably integrated throughout the unfolding saga of God’s Word: As sons and daughters of the King who are passionate for the heart of God, if the path ahead doesn’t scare us, or feel bigger than us, or stretch us outside of our comfort zones, is our view of God too small? Don’t we see this in Nehemiah, and his project to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem for God’s glory? Wasn’t that his God-given BHAG? Or in David taking on and dropping Goliath, the self-proclaimed enemy of God, against impossible military odds I might add, and rallying Israel to courageous faith and awesome victory? Or in Paul’s undaunted declaration of the persuasive, muscular truth of the Gospel, amid the pseudo-intellectual pagans of Mars Hill? Or later in early church history, in Polycarp, who stared down a tyrant, and refused to betray the Lord and King Jesus Christ, who had willingly suffered and died for Him? Polycarp heeded God’s voice to stand strong and ‘Play the man’, no matter the earthly cost. His heavenly reward is infinitely greater.
Those men are some of my Heroes of the Faith. Hebrews 11 relays the inspiring stories of many more who’s devotion to God burned so hot in their chests, that they would never bow the knee and cave to the temporary, idolatrous powers of the day. ‘The world was not worthy of them’ (Hebrews 11:38). They knew who alone was worthy and who they belonged to: The One and only Awesome God.
After over 2 years of prayer and pursuit, the next step in our God-sized, Warrior Camp BHAG is coming to a head! I’m reminded of how His timing and His provision are perfect, and infinitely greater than anything I could have imagined on my own. God has opened a door for me to jump on a plane and fly out of Boise, Idaho on January 25, 2023. After 25 hours and across thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean, I’m scheduled to land on the East Coast of the South Island, in Christchurch, New Zealand. The 1st moments of WARRIOR CAMP’s new Ministry Growth Venture will begin! It’s not what I wanted. It’s much better!
Our plan is to maintain or grow our current WARRIOR CAMP Ministry in Idaho / The Northwest USA, while pursuing our new WARRIOR CAMP Growth Venture inside of New Zealand. In this Growth Venture, we have 4 Goals for the First 3 Months. They are: (1) Discovering more about Woodend Christian Camp and what effective Camp ministry looks in the context of NZ Kids, Youth, and Families (2) Adding value to Woodend Christian Camp, (3) Exploring Woodend Christian Camp in pursuit of a new, conducive area in which WARRIOR CAMP can grow, do more, and better realize our Ministry Vision, and (4) working together with Woodend Christian Camp to host 1 or more WARRIOR CAMP Day Camps or Special Events for the kids, youth, and/or families of New Zealand.
There is not enough span in a lifetime to exhaust how God’s provision is perfect. I could go on about the compelling distinctives of Woodend Christian Camp. Or the unique opportunities to engage kids and youth in New Zealand schools with the Gospel. Or the need to push back against the lies of atheism’s foothold in NZ. Or how the epic geography of New Zealand, while displaying the majestic grandeur sculpted by our Creator, also invites WARRIOR CAMP’s full Idea-Vault of epic games, new unforgettable experiences, and God Rallies, all of which are designed to leverage the power of fun for that which honors Him, to inspire Biblical Masculinity, and point this generation to the Good News of our Triumphant, Risen King Jesus Christ!
Following the recent ‘God Loves You’ Gospel Tour in New Zealand, Franklin Graham writes that ‘The land is breathtakingly beautiful and the people are warm and friendly - but the spiritual emptiness there is overwhelming. By some estimates, New Zealand is one of the least religious countries on earth. The vast majority of people don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and many vocally oppose His truth.’ The nation is a spiritual battle-ground. ‘But I praise God that He opened “a wide door for effective service” (1 Corinthians 16:9, NASB) in this highly secular island nation.’ Throughout the 3-City Tour, hundreds of churches came together to link arms for the Gospel, and thousands of Kiwis (i.e. New Zealanders) heard the Good News of Jesus Christ in the key cities of Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. ‘Many churches there are dying, but strong, Bible-believing congregations are thriving.’ More than Seven-Thousand Kiwis packed out the Trusts Arena in the coastal metropolis of Auckland, necessitating an overflow area in an adjacent stadium. In Christchurch, a city that has been rocked by tragedy and earthquakes, Kerry [anonymous name] was one of hundreds of people who surrendered their lives to The Lord Jesus Christ. Franklin Graham encourages us to ‘Please pray that God would ignite a passion for evangelism in many other congregations all across the North and South Islands.’ The Good News of Jesus Christ is unstoppable, and is tearing through the shadows. ‘…strong, Bible-believing congregations are thriving.’ WARRIOR CAMP hopes to join forces with congregations like these, and become actively engaged in God’s heart for New Zealand! New Zealand is ripe for revival. Amid the emptiness and darkness, our desperate need becomes crystal clear. Redemption has a name. He is Jesus! And we are created for relationship with Him. Let’s continue to pray for the life-giving Good News of Jesus Christ to spread across the entirety of New Zealand! (For more updates and exciting news about what God is doing in New Zealand, feel free to check out the following links: Link 1. Link 2).
You’re a loved family member of WARRIOR NATION, and I wanted to personally share a deep and heart-level THANK YOU! for all your prayers, support, and encouragement that have accompanied us to this pivotal moment in WARRIOR CAMP’s Growth Venture. We continue to be passionate to introduce kids and youth to Epic Games, Biblical Masculinity, and our Awesome God! I can’t wait to share more about what God does in 2023 and beyond! I feel like He is up to something only He can do, and we’re just getting started!
Happy New Year! God bless you as we embark into 2023! I’m cheering you on! We have a lot to celebrate, and we definitely can’t let the rocks have all the fun! (Luke 19:40).
For His Glory,
Derek
Joshua 1:9
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Want to help support WARRIOR CAMP’s New Growth Venture?
Thank you!
WARRIOR CAMP is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization.
Donations are Tax Deductible.
(For check donation details (offering zero transaction fees/deductions) please feel free to email warriorcamp1@gmail.com or call or text 208.866.0743. Thank you!)
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WARRIOR CAMP
Epic Games. Biblical Masculinity. Awesome God.
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