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The Pierponts at Camp Barakel

“Graduation Day”

We’re praising God that our support is at 90%. Click here to see how you can help us get to Barakel.
Today I’m celebrating the 242nd birthday of the Marine Corps. When I arrived at Marine Corps boot camp I was overwhelmed at the start, just trying to keep up with the training, both the physical and classroom. But by week 10 the difficulty had peaked and I could finally see graduation day in the distance. I was confident that in a few weeks I would be called a United States Marine.

It’s thirty-three years later and our family is facing a different kind of “graduation day”. For the last 18 months we’ve been in the support raising process to join the Resident Missionary Staff at Camp Barakel. When we first began asking God to move in the hearts of people to join our support team we were a little overwhelmed with the task ahead. We knew God would supply if it was His will, but we couldn’t clearly see how or when He would do it.

Today we can see “graduation day”. We’re now at 90% support. We are confident that God is taking us to Camp Barakel. Along the way He has given us encouragement, providing a buyer for our house just 6 days after listing it. He also gave us temporary housing, at little cost to us, just when we needed it. And He has given us opportunities to share our ministry at Barakel in several churches over the last couple of months.

Will you pray with us for the remaining 10% support we need? We’re waiting for the Lord’s perfect timing and complete provision. We’re eagerly anticipating “graduation day” when we get to settle into our home at Camp, hopefully before Christmas, so that we will be ready to begin a new year of ministry for God’s glory at Barakel.

Here’s how you can help us get to Barakel.

God’s Timing is Everything

Kevin driving Bus
Kevin driving Bus
Timing is everything. That’s what we say when something works out just right. I’m thinking we should say “God’s timing is everything”. I’ve seen this truth in action several times this summer.

At the end of each week of camp, by 8 AM Monday morning, the buses roll with campers returning home. On Tuesday morning the procedure is reversed and new campers are delivered to camp by 2:30 PM. On camp, and at several stops along the way the buses are put in park by applying the air brakes. There’s a large handle for this purpose on the driver’s dash board. Push, pull, push, pull, push, pull, goes the air brake handle many times on the two-day round trip. And then one week we learned that God’s timing is everything. [Read more…] about God’s Timing is Everything

Encouraging Interactions

Encouraging Interactions
It’s an exciting time when the campers arrive!

We’re not there yet, but we have had opportunities to serve at Barakel when we can. This summer I have been able to transport campers as a driver of one of the Barakel buses four different weeks.

On one occasion as a bus driver returning campers at the end of a week of camp, I had an exchange with a young man. He was wearing sunglasses and kind of hung around the edges of the group when we stopped for lunch on our route south. This particular camper, I thought, didn’t look too happy. Maybe he wasn’t excited about returning home. It’s tough leaving new friends after an exciting week at Barakel. Or maybe he was trying to look cool. I couldn’t tell. As he stood in line to get back on my bus I gave him my biggest smile and said, “How was camp?” To my surprise, he instantly lit up with a smile in return and said, “It was great!” [Read more…] about Encouraging Interactions

Seventy-Five Percent

We're praising God that we are now at 75% support committed in our journey to Camp Barakel. Please keep praying with us for the remainder of our support need and consider joining our prayer and support team and sharing our story with a friend.