Boot Camp - Wednesday Night Praise Report

From Carol Climer:

Team Leaders!!!

Thank you for hosting another successful party!!!! The event at Boot Camp (for those of you who have never been to the party) is very different than Juvenile Hall. The cadets come into their cafeteria and stay seated at tables. The only time they can get up is to go through the food line. Also, the cadets cannot receive gifts. We are on a strict time limit and the cadets march out by 8:00 p.m.

Last night Jason Oxford (Cornelia Avenue Southern Baptist Church) led the group in singing Christmas Carols. He does a great job moving around the room and inner acting with the boys. Tom Sims (pastor of Baptist Temple) tells the Christmas story in a very unique way and then finishes with a beautiful solo (if you have never heard Tom sing you have missed a blessing). The boys are spell bound when he sings. Randy Maynard (pastor of Cornelia Avenue Southern Baptist Church) then read the Christmas story from the Bible. He has a unique love for these cadets and communicates that very effectively as he talks to each boy personally.

The boys then go through the food line (twice!!!). Our volunteers mingle with the boys as they eat and share one on one with them.

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank Janice Oxford (Cornelia Avenue) organizing this party - this one is not easy. She also prepares all the refreshments for the outside staff at Juvenile Hall - beautifully packaged.

The stats are as follows:

6 Churches with
25 Volunteers - ministered to
136 Cadets and
12 Officers with
63 Professions of Faith and
32 Rededicaitons

Grand Total for Three Nights:

17 Southern Baptist Church Involved with
289 Volunteers - ministered to
472 Youth and
111 Staff with
177 Professions of Faith and
105 Rededications

This is AMAZING GRACE!! Thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do for the troubled youth in Fresno County. The prayer requests that the boys and girls wrote down are being typed up (not an easy job) by Dee Ann Douglass (Baptist Temple). Her goal is to get them to you by Saturday so your group and/or church will have the opportunity to continue to pray for the kids you ministered to.

Thank you again for your hard work - which paid off without any incidents of any kind - for the 33rd year!!!!

May God bless you all for the masterpiece you participated in - in changing the lives of those incarcerated.

Covered by His grace,
Carol