LifeNets International

LifeNets and ABC were happy to help make possible this youth camp experience in Santa Marta, Colombia from June 26-July 1,  2014.  Courtney Horvath and Greg Rorem from the United States were sent to help manage the camp activities.  Funding was made possible through an ABC Charity Auction.

http://abc.ucg.org/news/class-2014-hosts-charity-auction

Here is Courtney Horvath's report:

From: Courtney Nicole Horvath  

August 17, 2014  

Hello Mr. Kubik,

Here is my write-up about the camp in Colombia that LifeNets funded me to attend this summer as well as a number of pictures.  I want to again thank you and everyone at LifeNets that made this experience possible for me! It was a wonderful time of spiritual growth and getting to know brethren from Colombia, Guatemala, and Chile. It was an awesome camp experience!

            This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to serve at the United Youth Camp in Santa Marta, Colombia from June 26-July 1. There were 25 campers from Colombia, Guatemala, and Chile and 7 staff from both Colombia and the US. It was awesome to get to meet brethren from different parts of the world and to feel the connection that we are all part of something so much bigger than ourselves. The camp had a very relaxed feel with a few activities scheduled each day, including a daily Compass Check and Christian living class, along with long mealtimes and many opportunities for fellowship. Camp is such an escape from the struggles of daily life for many of the campers, so it is a huge blessing for them to all just be together. Other activities at camp included swimming and water sliding, going twice to the beach, soccer, a makeshift game of volleyball with a ribbon net, English class, Career-planning class, Bible games, hymn leading class, a bonfire, and a dance.

            Although there were many fun activities, getting to know the campers was definitely my favorite part of camp. If we weren’t spending our free time throwing a football, kicking a soccer ball, or scavenging for fruit to eat from the trees then we would be talking about everything from what the campers’ favorite songs are to their schooling or job to God’s way of life and the struggles they face. It is always inspiring to see teen and young adult brethren worldwide striving to come out of this world and live God’s way of life.  I also got to tell the campers about myself and some of the experiences in my life, such as what the United Youth Camps in the US are like and what attending ABC this past year was like. I not only loved getting to know the people at the camp, but I also loved getting to experience a beautiful new culture that is very warm, colorful, and exciting. It was also a great joy to see the Chilean and Guatemalan campers experiencing a new culture outside of their own for the first time.

            I really had a blast at the camp in Colombia, but it was not just a fun-filled week in a foreign country. Serving at the camp, just as serving at other camps and traveling to other countries always does, definitely reenergized me and help me look forward to the kingdom— a time when all brethren from all parts of the world will be united and serve together. I cannot wait until the fulfillment of that time, but in the meantime, I am very grateful for opportunities like staffing at the camp in Colombia that give me a small glimpse of the kingdom. I want to send out a huge thank you to everyone who made this camp possible, including the Hoefkers for all of their time and planning, LifeNets for their funding, and all of the generous donors that contributed to the successful 2014 ABC Charity Auction that raised money for the United Youth Camps in both Colombia and Mexico.

Thank you again so much, Mr. Kubik!!

Gratefully,

Courtney Horvath

Click or tap on image  below for slide show! 

From Greg Rorem -- 

October 14, 2014

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Kubik!

I am heading back to Nicaragua right now, where I've been living for 6 months for work, from a very successful and enjoyable Feast of Tabernacles filled with fellowship and serving down in Cartagena, Colombia. I wanted to take the time to give you both a very sincere thank you (дякую!), as feel I've too often spaced doing so from being too heads down on the next project ahead of me, whether serving God and his people or life's busy activity, without enough thought for the people who really work to make these things possible.

This year in particular at the feast, I've personally seen and felt a great impact which your work and assistance via LifeNets has made, not just for me, but for the brethren there. Your helping me go to camp this past summer has really helped me to build stronger relationships with the staff and campers who attended the feast this year as well, and this greatly boosted the effectiveness of us all working and serving together at the feast this year.

I've been making it a point to repeatedly serve in places like Colombia to build relationships and bonds, which I have been for multiple times now, instead of jumping around, so as to make my contribution much more than just opportunities to be in new and exciting places. Seeing the brethren again and again has helped to create stronger friendships and thus extend my use down there.

Being able to speak Spanish with high proficiency, as is the case with Russian in Ukraine, is a gift I've been given, but your assistance has put this gift to effective use in building relationships, many of whom I still talk with regularly from Ukraine and Colombia both while back home.

Thank you both very much for the opportunities, both more recent and in the past, and I'll be making it a point to be more responsive to those who provide such amazing opportunities not only for me, but for many of God's people around the world.

It was again a very very spiritually enjoyable feast with many successful aspects, and the brethren had quite a wonderful time fellowshipping together. Unfortunately, they don't get many opportunities to get together like this during the year, but as such, it makes the feast and camp mean just that much more to them.

My thoughts and prayers are with both of you and all your hard work, and I hope your feast was impactful and enjoyable as well!

Дуже дякую!

Greg Rorem