April/May 2022 Make known his deeds among the people! Tell of all his wondrous works!

April/May 2022 

Oh give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Psalm 105:1, 2

We children of God have “our Father Who is in Heaven…” the Creator of all that exists, the Controller of every historic event, the Contriver behind the plan of redemption, and the Champion of its completion. That Commander in Chief is our Father. How can we not sing praises to Him and tell of all His wondrous works? 

The ninth annual Huichol youth camp is history, but His wondrous works will last forever. After having to cancel camp for the past two years, both the Huichol campers and leaders and the IBBM-Tepic church staff and student leaders were raring to go. This year 113 campers along with their respective pastors and youth leaders from nine mountain villages attended. Though it was chosen for 2020, Lead Me to the Cross could not have been a better or timelier theme as it reinforced our focus on “Ground Zero” for the reason we have the hope we cherish. Huichol pastors and teachers taught dynamic Gospel-message lessons like: The Significance of the Cross, From Creation to the Cross, The Glory of the Cross, The Theology of the Cross, Living at the Foot of the Cross, His Cross-My Cross, and finished up the day before Good Friday with The Crucifixion of Jesus. 

Seventeen hard-working, joyful, and non-complaining Huichol ladies came along with their campers to do the cooking and make hand-flapped tortillas every day for the entire camp. The cooks prepared over 2,300 meals during the week for over 200 happy eaters. 

In addition, several members of the Tepic church donated their time and skills to teach specialty workshops. Every camper (their pastors, too) registered for electricity, hair-cutting, first aid, or music theory, to learn basics from professionals in their fields. That was a huge success! What a blessing for some pastors who, until recently, didn’t even have electricity in their villages, but now they can install electrical outlets, switches, and light sockets safely and effectively in their homes and churches! 

Twenty-six student-leaders from the Tepic church gave up their Spring break to serve God and their “neighbors” with their whole hearts. This camp would be impossible without their creativity and hard work. They are learning to serve well! The rented campground is very rustic; it’s a converted brick “factory.” Everything we use has to be hauled from Tepic and set up: the canopy, tables, chairs, kitchen supplies, refrigerator, stoves and gas tanks, blankets for the campers, tents, musical instruments and audio/video equipment, stage and scenery, everything. Then when it’s over, everything is returned, cleaned, and stored for next year. The student leaders from Tepic know that the job isn’t done until everything is back in storage. It’s nothing short of a miracle to watch them joyfully in action and to witness their hearts of love and service for their Huichol brothers and sisters. 

In all, for starters, there were a lot of mouths to feed, transportation costs to underwrite, campground fees to pay, games to organize, scripts to compose, and lessons to prepare. It was a marvelous opportunity for the Mexican young people to learn to minister to Huichol campers and for Huichol campers to hear the Gospel and be discipled in a very out-of-the-ordinary setting. Several, at least six, recognized their need for the Savior, and the campers left begging for camp next year. Though IBBM-Tepic hosts and does the legwork, this project certainly is not the work of a single person or church. It requires collaboration from God’s people all over the world who sincerely love Him and His plan and faithfully give Him the glory as His Word is proclaimed, and many are led to the Cross. 

Making known His deeds among the people didn’t end with camp. The campers and their leaders returned to their respective villages, and several celebrated Resurrection Day with baptisms. In La Bendición, 14 new believers, five of them from camp, were baptized giving thanks to the Lord and telling of His wondrous works. Could we “with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made” it would not be enough to tell the stories behind these new followers of Jesus. Sing praises to Him! 

Watch Huichol Camp video recaps here (by Caleb González): 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3