Brook Seekins Update: Youth Camps in Tanzania

Greetings prayer warriors!

I’m calling on my prayer partners from around the world. We have been keeping busy this past month.  We have been finding staff for camps, preparing host churches, making sure announcements have reached all the Youth about camps, finding corn, beans, and other supplies needed for camp, etc…  In the midst of it all, we’ve been trying to find thieves who have been boldly breaking into the Bible College campus.  Unfortunately, they have taken fuel and things needed to run the campus generator. So we’ve been without our evening source of lights for a couple weeks now.

In the most recent event, I was awakened at 4 am to help scare off thieves who cut a hole in the office roof.  We drove loudly up there with the car revving and lights on high beam and honking the horn.  We stopped them but they got away in the dark with a couple items.  Pray for safety and peace of mind here on the campus. (Read more about these recent events here).

But more importantly, it’s time once again to pray for camps in Tanzania.  This year’s theme is the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.                  Hebrews  4:12

God is faithful and He has been answering prayers that were sent up last year about camp.  Praise Him for that!

Three young people from the US are already here in Tanzania and ready to help with camps.  Pray for Leah, Noah, and John as they minister to the Youth of Tanzania this next month.

I have a new co-director this year.  Jafeti has been a counselor in the past, just recently graduated from pastoral Bible college.  He has enthusiastically taken this ball and run with it.  I’m thankful for his willingness to serve the Lord.  Pray for wisdom for Jafeti as he leads camps.

There are 12 counselors, 4 deacons, 3 assistants, and 3 translators lined up for this summer as well.  I’m excited to have so many staff members who have studied in the lay leader Bible schools or the pastoral Bible college.  A couple of this year’s counselors are young men who have grown up in camps for several years and now they are moving on to be counselors.  It’s exciting to see the fruits of our labor!

These men and women, most of whom are married, will be leaving their families and homes for 3 ½ weeks.  They will rough it travelling in the backs of open trucks, sleeping on the hard floor (what little sleep they will get), eating boring foods, and working with tough teenagers.  They are willing to serve. Their spouses and family at home have agreed to “solo” it for a while at home. Praise the Lord for bringing together a team once again. Pray for their energy, safety, health, and wisdom over the next few weeks.

They came to staff training on Thursday, June 9, and they will go from there to the first week of camp beginning on June 13 (for which I already have 60+ kids registered). We head from there to the second and third weeks of camps.  We will be finished and on our way home on July 2.

Pray this week for Staff Training, for the final preparations, for travel mercies, and health. Over the next few weeks I will be sending you updates about camps.  I would send pictures if my internet connection were faster. I hope to be able to update the blog along the way.

So I’m about to give a bunch of names. Some of you will have trouble pronouncing them. But I know that many of you will take time to bring their names before the Lord.

Jafeti – Co-director                Sopa – Head deacon              Denisi , Jafari, Benito – Translators

Justin, Jarod , Peter, Dani , Amosi , Stan , Mama Sesi, Mama Dani, Mama Jane, Mama Mika, Mama Salima, Mama Mesha- Counselors  

Thanks for your prayers,

Brook