DIRT Update

32 Camps in 10 Years!
I am writing this newsletter from a rustic cabin hidden in the mountains of North Georgia (thank you  Jake). The other morning when I woke up, it was 33 degrees and that was inside the cabin! Today, as I thought about what I need to share this month, I took some time to look back through my yearly calendars, and I realized something amazing. I have been blessed to lead 32 camps since 2001. That is an average of 3 camps per year! Wow... I think I’m tired.

Camps are People Laboring with Love

When it comes to creating great camp experiences, as soon as one ends, planning for the next one has already begun. To do things right, it takes a lot of time and energy from a whole lot of folks.
I praise God for the many people who have invested countless hours into the 32 camps we have hosted. There are blessings awaiting them in heaven for sure.

Time for a Sabbatical
A little over a month ago I went to our DIRT Crew Board of Directors and suggested that we take a much needed break. I am so thankful that they agreed to remove this year’s Summer DIRT Camp from the calendar. The Bible speaks clearly about the fact that all things need rest. We are told to keep a sabbath day of rest. Farmers are instructed to give their land a rest from producing crops every seven years. This seventh year of rest in known as a sabbatical. Even regarding the duties of camps, I believe a sabbatical rest is in order. For our camps, we are already three years overdue!


There Will Be A Summer Camp

Even though we are not hosting camp, students still need a summer camp experience. So, in place of this year’s DIRT Camp, we are planning to be guests at another great youth camp. This will allow us to be participants rather than planners. I am really looking forward to just being a camper and enjoying quality time with students.

The camp we are attending is called “SIFAT” (Servants In Faith And Technology - http://sifat.org).
I have taken two groups to SIFAT in the past, and it is an amazing experience. The camp focuses on the needs of third world countries and is an active lab for developing technologies to meet those needs. Students will learn by experience as they actually live in a simulated third world village. If you would like to attend, contact me right away, and I will provide all the details for you to join us.

If you want to hear an amazing story call me and I’ll tell you about DIRT Camp. Especially our worship service on Friday where seven students received Christ! Both leaders and students said they have never experienced anything like it. 
Our theme was “Supernatural” which is the perfect expression for this camp. God was in our midst and it was supernatural...


7 salvations, 11 rededications & 20 other decisions!


496 Man-hours Served on Mission Projects!

These projects included painting the house of an elderly lady, raking yards for shut-ins, serving at four nursing homes, moving a thrift store and the projects described below.


$419 Donated to Third World Needs!

Students earned $1 coins each day in competitions. On the last day we gave students the option to purchase items for third world families out of a Samaritian’s Purse catalog or they could buy candy with their coins. Only $4 was spent on candy! Now listen to this: We only gave out $282 worth of coins. The additional $141 came out of the pockets of our students and leaders!


36 Parachutes Made to Drop Hope in Columbia!

This project targets the Farc Rebels who kidnap students and force them to be gorilla fighters. Often suicide becomes their only escape. The parachutes drop Bibles, radios and hope!


Operation Beanie Babies was a Success!

67 beanie babies and 53 pounds of candy were collected to be given to children in the middle east by our soldiers in hopes of winning their hearts. Students also created 66 cards to encourage our troops.

God is Awesome!

We are so excited about the opportunities we will have at Winter DIRT Camp to touch lives around the world. You can help share the love by participating in one of the following ways...

1. OPERATION BEANIE BABIES
Students are being asked to collect Beanie Babies and hard candies to be sent to the Middle East. Soldiers give these items to the children they meet as a way of building bridges and winning hearts. Students will also be making cards and pictures, and writing letters to encourage our soldiers.

• You can help by collecting Beanie Babies and hard candies.
• You can help by creating a card or writing a letter to a solider.

2. SAMARITAN’S PURSE GIFTS OF HOPE

As students compete in team challenges they will be awarded coins worth one dollar each. At the end of the week everyone will be given a Christmas catalog with gifts to purchase and send to a needy person or family in a third world country. Gifts such as baby food, livestock, seeds and tools for growing crops, school supplies and much more.


• You can help by making a donation of dollars to give in exchange for the toy coins.
• You can order your own catalog from www.samaritanspurse.org and provide gifts.

3. PARACHUTES FOR COLUMBIA
We will be making parachutes for the sake of dropping bibles and radios in the war torn jungles of Columbia. Along with the parachutes we need to include $3 each to purchase solar powered radios, Spanish Bibles and other materials to be attached to each parachute.

• You can donate to help purchase the sewing materials needed for the parachutes.
• You can make parachutes in your home and add them to our shipment.
• You can donate the $3 per parachute to purchase the radios, Bibles and tracts.

This Christmas season count your blessings and then share them with those in need!

Merry Christmas!

Winter DIRT Camp Will Be “SUPERNATURAL”
In just a little over 3 months we will be in South Georgia for the best Winter DIRT Camp ever. This year’s theme is “Supernatural” because “Living for Christ does not come natural!” It is not natural to resist worldly desires. It is not natural to love others more than ourselves. It is not natural to courageously live the Christian life in a world that rejects Christ. It is not natural for students to give up four days of their winter break to go on a mission trip. It is the Supernatural power of Christ that compels us to live the supernatural life.

Pray for Winter DIRT Camp - Pray for our attendance to grow, because the more that attend, the more lives that will be changed. Pray for ministry opportunities that allow us to touch lives in the community. Pray for our leadership team as they plan every detail of the camp. Pray for the financial support to come in so our ministry can continue. Pray for the SUPERNATURAL power of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide every moment, and for precious souls to be saved.

Please Spread the Word - Invite churches and students to join us for camp. The Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Norman Park can easily host over 300 students. Imagine how awesome that would be! Help us get the word out. Think of who you know that is connected to students and let them know that they can learn all about our camp here >  http://dirtcrew.org/wintercamp.htm

Pack-a-Thon for Haiti - Last Saturday the Northwest Dirt Crew and Eastwood Dirt Crew teamed up to serve at the Atlanta Pack-a-Thon sponsored by Feed the Hunger and Feed my Starving Children. This team of students and adults packed over 30,000 bags of food that will be sent to Haiti. Did you get that? 30,000 bags of food! That is enough food to feed 81 starving children 1 meal a day for a year! I praise the Lord for the leadership of Bryan Fox and Brian Lee in accomplishing such a amazing task.

Watch the Pack-a-Thon Video: go to http://dirtcrew.tv > Random Vids > Atlanta Pack-a-Thon

“DIRT Crew University” That has a nice ring to it!
The picture above has special meaning to me because it is one of the first of its kind. This was a weekend reunion of college students who served at DIRT Camp this summer. They wanted to get back together before school and work fills their time again. On this particular morning we hiked up one side of Kennesaw Mountain and down the other. Sitting on the rocks right there we opened God’s Word and talked about the fact that Faith is a journey.

Now why is that so special? Because its a new place on the journey, the next level, DIRT Crew college students. They represent the first generation who have come up through the ranks of this ministry and now they are leaders of the ministry! I am praying that this will be the first of many generations of students who will grow to become great Christian influencers in this world.

There is one great story from this outing that I want to share. As I lead the Bible study I noticed a fellow hiker had stopped to listen. Later as we came down the mountain and I was approaching the end of the trail this same man in passing asked me about our group. He spoke of how impressed he was with the students and the Word that was shared. He even gave twenty dollars on the spot to go toward lunch. I am happy to say this is not uncommon. Everywhere we go people stop us and ask about our amazing group of students. I am so thankful the DIRT Crew stands out in a good way.

Last month I shared my heart’s prayer for the DIRT Crew. I want to ask you again to pray with us the prayer of Jabez for our ministry together... [1 Chronicles 4:10]


We are already planning our Winter DIRT Camp. This is hard work that demands commitment and sacrifice from our college and adult leaders; a volunteer force that either work or go to school full time. So why do we keep doing it? Because EVERY TIME at EVERY CAMP souls are saved and lives are forever changed. Please pray for Winter DIRT Camp and pray for the DIRT Crew!

With our new location at Sequoyah Caverns and 98 participants, DIRT Camp could not have been anything less than “The Best DIRT Camp Ever”.  Students loved the worship time in the caverns’ “Ball Room” where lives were changed every night. We experienced 6 salvations, 31 rededications, and 29 other spiritual decisions!

Each morning the students went out and got their hands dirty while racking up over 550 volunteer-hours of community service. They served at assisted living and nursing homes, remodeled an elderly man’s bathroom, cut fire wood, did yard work, cleaned-up people’s property, cool sealed roofs and anything else we ask them to do. Each day two teams went to downtown Chattanooga to respectfully share their faith through conversations and tracting. Many students said this was one of the highlights of camp!

As a new twist this year, we let the students choose their adventures. We offered Caving, Skeet Shooting, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Canoeing, Disk Golf, Ultimate Frisbee, Swimming, Mountain Hiking and of course the famous Mud Bowl! We also had exciting games, food challenges and the “Mayonnaise Skit” (you just had to be there!). Soon we will have a camp video available that can be viewed on our web site. The video will include the “Mayonnaise Skit”.

As always, camp was not without it’s challenges. Many students stayed in tents this year and we had some storms that drove us into a local community center one night. We picked-up a few bumps and bruises and by the end of camp we were all worn out, but without all that it would not be camp.

For all of you who have prayed and all who have given donations to sponsor students and underwrite this camp, there are no words to express our gratitude. Because of your partnership in this ministry many students and adults have been touched spiritually. You are the heroes of DIRT Camp. You may not have been there physically, but I carried you in my heart every moment of camp...

THANK YOU!

When talking about DIRT Camp, every year we say, “This is going to be the best DIRT Camp ever!” and that statement alway proves to be true. Well, this year just saying, “best camp ever” is not big or grand enough to describe DIRT Camp 2010. This year’s camp is going to be EPIC in proportion compared to anything we have done in the past. That is why we are calling it “EPIC Adventure”.

Everyone involved senses something awesome shaping up that can only be described as “GOD-sized”. For example, I already have 17 young adults (college students and young professionals) who have applied to be our team leaders this year. Also, it is very likely that our attendance could double from last year. Wow! I am more excited about this year’s DIRT Camp than ever because more students means more lives being touched by Christ. I am most excited because I know there will be some students that will give their lives to Christ at camp. Praise God!

For the first time ever, I am going to reveal some of our big “Secrets” for this year’s camp. As many of you know we like to keep our camp plans a secret because we love the element of surprise. Although, this year I just can’t keep quiet about it so here goes:

Sequoyah Caverns - We are renting the entire property of Sequoyah Caverns! This property has a complete camp ground with bath houses, swimming pool, hiking trails, fishing ponds, and of course the caverns. By renting this property we will be able to offer an option to those who are interested in tent camping. Students can bring their own tents or they can bunk in one of the two large event tents we will have setup with cots.

Worship in the Cave - Now here is the best part of having the Sequoyah property. All of our worship gatherings will be inside the caverns! Have you ever heard singing in a cave? It’s like singing in the bathroom, everyone sounds good. I believe this is going to be an amazing experience and likely the only camp in America having worship services inside a cave.

More Activities - This year we are going to have almost twice as many activities for students to enjoy. Everything from swimming to extreme adventures of which I will keep secret for now (got to save something for the element of surprise).

More Missions - With twice as many students, that means twice as many missions. More serving in the community with the love of Christ. More lives touched, more good things accomplished, more students experiencing the blessings of service.

Now, Are You Excited About DIRT Camp?
I hope you are so excited about this year’s DIRT Camp that you will make a commitment to do your part:

We Need People to Pray
First and most important, we need people everywhere praying. This really is a God size event that is bigger than all of us. This is our Jordan to cross and we have already stepped into the water. We are trusting God to carry us amazingly through this EPIC adventure. Pray for the safety and protection of everyone attending the camp. Pray for our strength because this will be a physically and emotionally challenging week for both students and leaders. Pray for souls to be saved and lives to be forever changed.

We Need People to Give
Second, we need people to give financially. By faith we have committed more resources to camp than ever before. I know God can cover the cost easily through His people. That is how God pays for every ministry He leads. So I would ask you to consider what would be your part? Is it as one of our prayer warriors? Is it to be one of our financial champions? Please participate however you can. By your participation you can rejoice in the celebration once this camp has proven to be a “GOD-sized” success!

Click here for Camp registration information

HEART OF A HERO!
Our theme for Winter DIRT Camp was “Heart of a Hero” and everything we did was designed to inspire students to allow Jesus Christ to give them a hero’s heart filled with His love. From start to finish, this camp was something very special and God’s presence was very real throughout.

LIVES WERE CHANGED FOREVER
We rejoiced as seven students accepted Christ as their Savior and eight others came forward to rededicate their lives to the Lord. In all, out of 75 attendees, there were 43 spiritual decisions made! Students committed to serve more, pray more, honor God more, and grow spiritually.

HEROES TO THE COMMUNITY
On Thursday and Friday, we sent teams of students out to serve in the community of Norman Park, Georgia. We visited and ministered at nursing homes. We served elderly folks by working in their yards and houses. We helped to beautify the community by raking and spreading pine straw in various locations. It was a blessing to partner with the Georgia Baptist Conference Center at Norman Park to log over 500 man hours of community service in two days. These students proved their hero’s heart!

HEROES TO THE WORLD
To drive home the “Heart of a Hero” message we did something really crazy. We put up $500.00 for students to win during camp. In selected competitions students could win $1.00 tokens that they would be able to cash in on the last day of camp. You can imagine how excited they were about that! Our scoring system allowed every participant to win anywhere from $6.00 to $18.00.

On the last day of camp we all gathered in Hope Chapel to allow students to cash-in their hard earned rewards. But instead of just handing out money, we handed out catalogs from Samaritan's Purse. These catalogs are a wonderful bridge to offer hope to the needy around the world. They offer the opportunity to purchase and send a wide range of items, from school supplies to water purification systems.

We promised the students that we would pay out cash to whoever wants it, but we also wanted to give them the opportunity to be a hero to the needy of our world. We shared that with the money due them, which for most would not even be enough to buy a CD, they could be a hero and change someone’s life forever. Needless to say most students grabbed up the catalogs and began to  browse the many opportunities to express their Hero’s Heart.

HERE IS WHERE IT REALLY GETS INTERESTING
There were some items that students could buy for $10 or less, but many of the high impact items were pretty expensive. For example, a goat cost $70 and a family water filter cost $100. Students started calling out, “Who wants to help buy a goat?” Others called out, “We are trying to buy medicine, who want’s to help us?” Teams of buyers began to form and their financial goals were soon reached with cheers! When the coins ran out I watched students start pulling their own money out of their pockets to help purchase items. As I think about it even now I’m almost moved to tears. It was thrilling and inspiring to see.

OUR HEROES’ FINAL TALLY
Here is what students were able to accomplish:

• 1 week of dinners for one hungry child.
• 30 seedling fruit trees for a family’s food and income.
• 2 Dairy animals for a family to have milk and income.
• 1 warm blanket for someone who is homeless.
• 4 life saving Mosquito nets to protect small children.
• 2 hungry babies will be fed for one week.
• 12 baby chicks for a family to have eggs and income.
• 50 people supplied with vital life saving medicines.
• 1 family water filter with health-and-hygiene training.
• 1 student took cash to buy groceries for her family.

Better yet, every item will be delivered by a Christian worker who will share the love of Christ with every individual. Now, I know you are wondering how many students took the cash. When we were all done over 90% of the students had given their earnings to Samaritan's Purse. That told me that we accomplished our goal to inspire students to be heroes!

I need to mention one last group of heroes. They are the handful of heroes that pray and give faithfully to this ministry. Without your prayers and financial support this camp would not have happened. Let’s rejoice together because today we have more treasure laid up in heaven!

1 Corinthians 3:8-9 “Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are laborers together with God.”

WE WANT TO WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Another year has come and is almost gone, but we still have Christmas! I am always excited about ending the year by looking to our Savior for joy and celebration as we spend some quality time with family and friends. I wish I could have a big party and invite all my friends, which definitely includes you. Maybe one day that will happen, but this year at least I can send a letter with sincere Christmas wishes for you and you family.

A lot has happened for the DIRT Crew this year and God has really blessed the ministry. So many lives have been touched with the love of Christ. It has not all been easy but it certainly has been worth it. If we could have that party I would invite everyone that we have ministered to, every student that has served and every adult that has supported the work. What a wonderful gathering that would be. However you fit in this picture I want to say THANK YOU! We love you and appreciate your service, prayers and support.

PARACHUTES FOR COLUMBIA
I am so proud of our middle schoolers at Piedmont Church. In 3 weeks time they raised almost $300 to buy materials to deliver parachutes to Voice of the Martyrs for the sake of dropping bibles and radios in the war torn jungles of Columbia. They not only raised the money but they also made  27 parachutes one Sunday afternoon. Along with the parachutes we provided the funds to purchase solar powered radios, spanish Bibles and other materials to be attached to each parachute. Pray with us that God would  guide each parachute to those who need the hope found in Christ.

WINTER DIRT CAMP WILL BE AWESOME
Please remember to pray for our first ever Winter DIRT Camp (Dec. 30 - Jan.2). I am so excited because the Lord has given us some brand new ideas that will make this camp very special. Because you give we can offer this camp below cost for students. We have many who could not come other wise. Thank you for believing in the DIRT Crew!

FINAL DESTINATION
October was filled with treats for the DIRT Crew starting with a road trip and overnight lock-in. On Friday, October 23, we headed west converging with other DIRT Crews at Dutton Baptist Church in Dutton Alabama. There we experienced the drama, “Final Destination” which is a very well produced presentation directed by Chris Griggs (One of our DIRT Crew youth pastors). From the opening scene of a father and daughter arguing, to the final scene overlooking the bottomless pit, this drama was riveting. Chris shared later that many received Christ during the three days of performances.

JASON’S HOUSE
From Dutton we headed north to the community center in Rising Fawn, Georgia (Home to Summer DIRT Camp), where we held an overnight lock-in. The next morning we traveled down the road to Trenton, Georgia where we enjoyed a country breakfast at the new Jason’s House. Chuck Carver is director of Jason’s House, a community youth ministry. This is a different model of youth ministry intended to reach students that may never walk into a church. Chuck Carver serves on the DIRT Crew board of directors and has been an instrumental partner in developing our DIRT Camps.

FCA HALLOWEEN NIGHT PARTY
On Halloween night I was invited to speak at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Halloween alternative party held at Piney Grove Baptist Church. The students, lead by Katlyn Pickle (DIRT Camp alumni), planned an awesome event right down to the fried Oreos! I spoke to the students about wearing masks. Did you know that “Hypocrite” literally means an actor wearing a mask?
At the end of the night I invited students to take off the masks of hypocrisy and breathe in the refreshing freedom found in Christ. This was an awesome event!

WINTER D.I.R.T. CAMP IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
The most important part of camp is our spiritual goal. We are praying for the hearts of students to be branded with the revelation that they should no longer live for themselves. We will inspire them to live for Christ knowing that one day they will stand before Him and lay their crowns (life's rewards) at His feet. Please join us in praying for the spiritual success of this camp.

I cannot share a lot of details because we love to keep the students in suspense, but I will tell you that this camp will be different from any camp we have ever done before. The Lord has shown us some fun and exciting twists. I can hardly wait to see how everything plays out. We are planning a surprise ending that I hope will be a home run in the hearts of everyone participating. We need your prayers as we approach this time. Join us in praying for student’s hearts to be touched, souls to be saved and lives to be forever changed.

This 4-day, 3-night trip will be held at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Norman Park, Georgia. The camp includes ringing in the new year with a bonfire, sparklers and marshmallows, a hay ride, competitive games & challenges, 2 days of community service, live praise & worship, inspirational messages, morning devotions, evening debriefings, 3 great meals each day, tasty snacks, comfortable accommodations and a camp tee for everyone.

How are we able to do all this for only $69 per student? Because of those who give!
We are offering this camp to students for less than what it costs to produce. If you are a financial contributor to this ministry, please know that your partnership helps to make this possible. Because of your giving we can minister at a high level with a low cost which gets more students to camp. THANK YOU!

CAMP REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE (click here)
You can find the online registration at dirtcrerw.org. On the right side of our home page there is a camp banner to click for the details. By the way, this is our new web site that we just launched. If you see any typos, broken links or any other problems please let us know.

IMPORTANT: We will likely exceed our budget for Winter DIRT Camp, so would you consider giving a donation to help underwrite this ministry event? Your financial support will help to provide transportation, bring students who can’t afford to attend and cover the additional expenses. All donations are tax deductible.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9 “Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are laborers together with God.”

There are rewards for the labor. Please join us in the work. God Bless!

Make checks payable to and mail to: DIRT Crew Student Ministires | 3010 Wren Circle, Kennesaw, GA 30144