The Birkey Bulletin

“Direct your children onto the right path and when they are older, they will not

leave it.” Proverbs 22:6 Summer 2014

The Great Adventure SIMC Summer Camps 2014

“By FAITH Abraham, when CALLED to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,

OBEYED and WENT, even though he did not know where he was going.” -Hebrews 11:8

2014 Summer Camps By the Numbers…

153 Campers

34 First time commitments to Christ

44 Rededications to Christ

76 Bibles handed out

71 Total volunteers, work team members, & staff

4,000 Meals served

261 Water balloons used

8 Aerosol cans of sunscreen used

12 Tie blankets made for donations

101 Wordless book bracelets handed out

14 LITs participated in various leadership roles

11 States represented by work teams/volunteers

Contact Us!

Address: 14202 N 73rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85381

Emails: jon.birkey@gmail.com lindsay.birkey@gmail.com

Phone: (309) 251-6735 (Jon) (765) 860-8220 (Lindsay)

Blog: birkeys.blogspot.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/jlbirkey

Donate online: www.wgm.org/birkey

www.wgm.org

Summer Camps 2014 Highlights…

Camps this summer flew by fast, but we loved every minute of it! This year’s theme was “The Great Adventure”. We

talked about many Bible characters that went on adventures with God. Each day had a new story and a new character.

We learned about Abraham’s journey of faith, Joshua and the tumbling walls of Jericho, Gideon and his dwindling army,

Peter trying to keep his eyes on Jesus, and Mary being faithful in having baby Jesus. Each day we concentrated on how

each Bible character related to the four key words in our verse: faith, call, obey, and went. Every Bible character we

talked about had faith, received a call from God, and responded by obeying and going where God instructed. What an

adventure it is to follow the Lord and His leading!

We praise God for His provision during these four camps. Each year, we receive several work teams and volunteers-

many from all around the U.S. God always amazes us in how He brings all of us together as a Body to accomplish His

purposes and build His Kingdom.

We also praise God for stirring the hearts of our youth and children, resulting in 34 first time commitments to Christ

and 44 rededications to Him! We also broke an attendance record for our 4th-6th Grade Camp, with 62 campers.

Finally, we praise God for how we saw Him at work in our 14 LIT’s (Leaders in Training) who volunteered during our

Elementary Camps. We are just beginning to develop the program and continue to be surprised at how our youth are

stepping up and growing in leadership so quickly. This is a blessing and great encouragement for us.

This summer truly was a Great Adventure and we look forward to the next adventures God has in store for us!

Blessings and Thanks for your Support!

-Jon & Lindsay Birkey

What’s Next for the Birkey’s and How Can I Pray?

Field Orientation– We will be visiting other WGM ministry locations around the state and also begin our

mentorship with other missionaries here on our field.

Camper Follow-Up-- We will continue to find ways to follow-up with and visit our campers.

Connect– We will continue building relationships with Native congregations and pastors throughout the

state as well as partnering with local churches.

Plan– We will begin planning for our other weekend camps and retreats. Our next camp is Teen Weekend

Camp in October.