Camp Peniel 

          Four years ago, God ordained that I should go into Mexico and host a “youth retreat”.  To my surprise, God had much more planned than just a one-time retreat.  His plan has far surpassed anything I could have ever envisioned.  Camp Peniel was born that year and has been growing ever since.   

2001 – We began with a blue tarp stretched between a few hand-hewn poles.  This served as our tabernacle as well as the girls’ sleeping quarters.  All of the cooking was done on a provisional clay stove.  The guys bathed in the river and the girls used a water hose which was stretched across the road from a neighbor’s house.  The electricity was borrowed from a neighbor’s house and the outhouses were extremely primitive.  Approximately 40 kids were present and God moved in a tremendous way.  At the end of the camp, the campers were all asking when we were going to have another camp.                 

2002 - What a year! We began construction by building a unit of four showers – two each for the girls and boys.  We also made mud bricks and built two sets of outhouses totaling five stalls.  Our tabernacle consisted of six blue tarps woven together as well as two tents which the Pepsi Company loaned us.  Bro. Shannon Wooten brought a group of youth from Abundant Life Tabernacle and they were a tremendous blessing as they worked tirelessly, doing whatever was asked of them.  Attendance mushroomed from 40 to 150 as God continued His work.  It rained within one mile of us and not one drop of rain fell on the camp.  Enthusiasm for the camp was growing as God continued to change lives.

2003 - In the first part of the year, God laid it on a minister’s heart to donate the money for a tabernacle and dining area.  Then, a team from my home area went down and built the structures.  Later in the year, another team followed and poured concrete floors in both building.  Now, it’s starting to look like a camp ground!  Bro. Wooten preached the youth camp again this year and God’s blessings were poured out as young people sought the face of God with broken and contrite spirits.  Attendance grew, as we were hosts to 225 campers. 

2004 - Excitement continued to grow and the youth from the host church began to meet every Saturday at 6:00 a.m. to pray for the youth camp.  The results of fervent prayer, many saints fasting and hard work resulted in the best camp ever.  Our attendance topped the previous year’s attendance. Testimonies of changed lives, spirits delivered and souls baptized in the Holy Spirit continued to pour in long after the last camper had gone home.  The Friday evening service was filled with miracles beyond anything we had ever experienced at Camp Peniel, as God’s Spirit broke down walls softened hard hearts. 

2005 - The growth of the camp has necessitated the building of dormitories.  Up until this year, the campers stayed and slept in tents; however, the camp had grown to the size where we needed to house as many people as possible under one roof.  In 2004, Bro. Terry Phillips started raising funds in order to start construction. On January 22, 2005, a team of men from four churches met in McAllen, Texas and made the trip across the Mexican Border. From the border it is a few hours ride to the campgrounds.  Because we had sent money ahead, the foundation for the New Dormitory had already been formed and poured, block laying was able to begin immediately.  Bro. Jon Proctor and Bro. Gary Coffman were part of the team and were a tremendous blessing.  Bro. Proctor utilized his trade skills in finish masonry and started laying block. The crew was able to lay up within the top two courses, framing doors and windows as they progressed. What an accomplishment, more than anyone expected. The electrical wiring in the camp had long been overdue for an overhaul. If you look at the before pictures, you’ll see nearly bare wires, stretched between leaning poles, stuck in the ground. Bro. Coffman being a master electrician was a God-send concerning this need. Thanks to both of them for their willingness to go and be used of God in order to see the work of God accomplished.

Since the camp’s beginning, I’ve known that God’s plan is to raise up a mighty army of young people that will affect Mexico in ways we can only dream of. Young saints that started out as campers are catching their vision and walking through doors of opportunity that will set a country on fire for God. God is continuing to open doors for me; allowing me to begin training others who have a God-given desire to be a part of this ministry.  My heart’s desire is to train them to go out and win their own people and, in turn, train others.   May God send a nationwide revival to Mexico!     

Expecting a great harvest,

 

Rebecca Waldrop