Angel Day, Mon, July 28

Most of the days at camp had a theme attached to the day. A Carnival occurred on one day, Olympics on another, Family Day, and Parents Day to mention a few. As I mentioned earlier, we were asked not to share the Gospel until after Parents’ Day. I think it was by God’s design for our team to be there and to have the Monday following Parents’ Day to be “Angel Day”! On this day we were free to share our Bible Stories and tell about Christ!

On this themed day, the head counselor told us in the counselors’ meeting that all the groups could make special greetings over the Camp PA system, put messages of blessings to campers on an Angel Tree near the canteen, and become angels to one another. I came up with an idea…!

Glenn Estes had brought a book that contained one minute Bible Stories. I had also seen counselors a few days earlier dressed in togas for the Olympic competition day. My idea was to dress as angels and visit the groups in the evening just before they go to bed and have Natasha sing a soft song and then I would read a one minute Bible story. The whole program would be 5-7 minutes long.

I got approval and told the team about my idea. We fashioned some wire coat hangers I had brought into halos and secured some bed sheets from the camp staff. At the counselor’s meeting, we had several groups sign up for this “Angelic Visit”!

On Monday evening, we went from group to group around the camp dressed in Angel costumes with halos and sometimes a cowboy hat! We entered the room where the kids had been gathered. They ooo’ed and ahh’ed when they saw us dressed as angels. I would say to them, “We are Angels from afar that have come to visit you and share the love of Christ! Listen to the Word of God through song!” Then Natasha played a Christian song that was so soft and angelic that the campers would request her to sing it again days later! Then I would tell them a one minute Bible Story. They were attentive and listened as I told the story! Then we would bid them “spoo-ko-ney nochi” (good night in Russian) and gracefully depart. They would applaud and tell us in English “Good Night”! This simple act reached the kids at this camp for Christ!

As some of the other groups saw what we were doing, they asked us to come to them too! That first evening we visited nine different groups from about 9pm until 11:30pm that night. The Angel Visits continued throughout the week even though Angel Day had past. The kids seemed to really enjoy the visit. I wish you could have seen the faces of the kids as they listened to Natasha play. God was with us as Natasha played and our team as we portrayed Angels and showed the love of Christ! I’m sure the memory of Americans from Texas dressed as Angels and singing praises to God will be a memory they will soon not forget!