off to live in the mountains

so im leaving in about 5 hours for ridge haven. but, before i go, i want to post a part of the support letter that i sent out, just so my friends and others who drop in here can read it. i really need prayer this summer- for a lot of things. please continue to pray for me in my personal struggles, as well as other difficulties which i will face. some of these things are included in the following letter. read this:

Dear Friends and Family-

I am going to North Carolina for the summer to spend two months as a camp counselor at Ridge Haven Camp, the official camp and retreat center of the PCA. This is not my first time at Ridge Haven (RH); I was a camper over the course of several summers, and also attended several weekend retreats there. I understand first hand the impact that just a week at this camp can have in a young person’s walk with the Lord. My time at RH and the counselors who shepherded me had significant and lasting effects in my life. In the church, there has recently been a very real and frightening lack of interest in spiritual things in the minds and hearts of the youth. Many are falling away from the faith. A week at RH immerses campers in the teaching of the scriptures and challenges them to conform their lives to those teachings. It changes lives. For that reason, I am returning to RH as a counselor.

My responsibilities at Ridge Haven this summer start with watching out for my group of young men, shepherding them and challenging them spiritually. This is probably the most frightening thing to me. I remember how much I looked up to my counselors. This position is no small thing- I am not just baby-sitting for a week. Some of these campers have serious issues and questions about the nature of God and His plan in their lives. Please pray for me as often as you think of me. I need the Lord's strength this summer. Other things I will be doing with the campers include archery, climbing, high ropes courses, and rafting. Please pray that all of these activities go off without injury or incident. Also, I will be ministering to and serving my brothers and sisters who help run the camp. This includes other counselors, kitchen and grounds crews, those over us, and also the musicians and speakers.

We all need prayer- this camp is a powerful and relevant ministry. I believe that the Kingdom of God is being advanced at Ridge Haven. And, we know from the scriptures that anywhere that is happening, Satan and his forces are trying to stop it. I know right now that this summer I will be attacked with weariness, anger, frustration, hopelessness, self-centeredness, and many other weapons that the evil one has used against God's people. Please, begin praying for me that the Spirit of the Lord would renew in me every morning the fruits of the Spirit- that the Lord would be fresh to me every day. I cannot stress this enough. Your support through prayer is the most important and powerful thing you can offer this ministry.

Another challenge of Ridge haven this summer is raising a portion of my compensation for the summer. It is my responsibility to raise $1000 as a supplement to my salary. One of the most important reasons for doing this is that, in helping raise my own salary this summer, I am cutting down on the costs of running the camp, which in turn keeps the costs down for the campers and their families. And, since this is literally a little mission field right in our own back yard, it is only fitting that I have a responsibility to raise support to spend my summer there ministering to those needing the gospel, and to shepherd those who already have it.

It is of the utmost importance for both the ministry and for me personally that you faithfully pray for the camp, the counselors, and the campers. Please commit to pray daily that the Lord would watch over all involved in this endeavor and that He would bless it. This ministry needs your prayers. Please remember us all as we are serving the Lord at Ridge Haven.


Scott Steere