Claycamps plus one...

About two weeks ago, a social services worker called the church concerning a young girl from a nearby orphanage. This girl was released from supervised care at the orphanage and needed a place to live until she starts technical school in the fall. We all felt led by God to take this opportunity to love this girl who has not seen much love in her life. Well, it was decided that our home was the best place for her, since we have a nice guest room outside.

Jhenya has been with us for a week now and it has been quite interesting. She is 17 years old, but mentally acts about 12. Before her parents died, they were alcoholics and physically abused her. She acts as though she has ADD, at times hyper and loud and not able to focus very long. She likes to play with our kids, loves to play with her new phone and is always asking to play video games. She feels very comfortable here with us and gets a little anxious when she has to leave. The girls in the church are helping us by taking her out and about, although she continuously asks to come back home.

She will be with us for two months. It is our hope that she would learn some life skills while she is with us, as she will be on her own in the fall. Right now, we can't imagine her living and functioning on her own. We know that these next two months will be very trying for us, but we also know that God will give us the strength to love and care for her. Please pray for us to have patience and understanding with her. Pray that God would be glorified through this situation and that she would come to know Christ in a personal way.

Road trip to Hungary...

We just got back from our road trip to Hungary. It was a great trip. We traveled with Wayne and Olya and their boys and Yura and Oksana and their family. Our youngest two stayed home with Magdala. The yellow van had a few mechanical problems along the way, but nothing to stop us from reaching our destination.

Before the conference in Vaijta, we stayed the night in Budapest and one day taking in the sights. We saw a cool castle, had breakfast at Gloria Jeans, and spent a few hours at IKEA. Then we went to the conference where we spent 5 relaxing days, listening to good teaching on God's word, worshipping with fellow missionaries from all over Europe, swimming in the pool, drinking lots of great coffee and catching up with old friends.

The conference theme was "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." The focus was standing fast in the victory the Lord has already won. It also focused on prayer and its importance in ministry. It's so easy to step out before one prays, or as missionaries become discouraged because our expectations are not being met. But it's as we wait on the Lord first, that He strengthens us to move forward. Sometimes moving forward means standing fast where we are in the battle, realizing God has already won!

Check out our pictures of the trip here!

You Don't Have To Be Afraid...

Here is a little song I wrote to help my kids deal with the transitions and changes in Ukraine. Josie, Jaden and Jeremy learned the chorus and we sing it often on the way to school...It's a great reminder that God is always with us and we have no reason to fear.

Chorus:
You don't have to be afraid
Cause God is with you every day

You don't have to fear at all
Cause God's the one who's in control


Verse:
He's always watching over you
He sent His Son so you would know
Amazing love so big so true
Let Him rule inside your soul

Summer Fun with the Slip 'N Slide!!!

We brought back a Slip 'N Slide from the States and the kids have been dying to try it out. Today looked like a great day to test it out. The kids had tons of fun slipping and sliding and getting soaking wet. Micah modified the technique a bit, just tossing them down the slide. Thanks Mimi for the great gift!

Our newest pet...

So, Micah surprised me again with a new pet for the kids. He brought home a rabbit after visiting one of the nearby villages. He said, "they just gave it to me, so what was I supposed to do?" The kids are happy to have another addition to the family. Well, she is a nice lawnmower for our grass and weeds out back!




The Claycamp pets: Emily the dog, Alona the hamster and Svena the rabbit