Tom Phillips Blog

Week 7 Update from Florida Youth Camp

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Week 7 at Word of Life Florida

You start with 100 counselors who can’t wait to have Jr. Campers again. Throw in 426 Jr. campers. Add an awesome Bible Study in the book of Acts by Rich Andrews. Then you flavor it with exciting activities, great food, energizing worship and moving testimonies and it all added up to a fantastic Week 7 at Word of Life Florida Youth Camp. We had 24 of the children saved, over 300 of them respond at the campfire. Praise the Lord for His work in children’s lives.

Listen to some of the testimonies from the children who came:

Mary: I wish this week would never end. God showed me so much. I knew my life was going in the wrong direction but He turned that upside down. I also made a lot of friends .

Tye: I am learning a lot from the Bible Hour and one thing I learned is that God wants me to be nice to people.

Selby: I had a blast this week. Learning about God in a crazy wild way is great. I learned some stories about the Bible that I haven’t read or heard before. I’m really sad that I have to leave.

Jr. Camp is so much fun for our counselors because the children are so eager to learn what God has for them. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Week 6 Update WOLFL Youth Camp

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Week 6 at Word of Life Florida

The first ever Middle School at Word of Life Florida. The energy was incredible. The response in the meetings was tremendous and the first was a roaring success. Because it was a new camp we had a lot of new churches and leaders.

Some of the comments heard from the leaders were:

I’ve been waiting for years for WOL to do a middle school camp, thanks so much. Please keep doing it.
Thanks so much for the drama . My students opened up and made some great decisions. Two of my 12 year olds confessed to being sexually active and wanted to confess it to God and genuinely change.
It’s been the greatest week of my life.

On the campers’ side, we had 27 of the campers accept Christ, and over 200 of them stand up on Thursday night to dedicate their lives to Christ. Paul Woods taught Bible hour from the book of James and Rev. Scott Yirka gave three power packed messages at night.

The cardboard testimonies on Friday night were a highlight as usual. My favorite was “lost” on one side and “found” on the other. Praise the Lord for working in these young lives.

Week 5 Update

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

WEEK 5 – WORD OF LIFE FLORIDA YOUTH CAMP

“Wait! I can’t pray, I’m not even sure I believe in God.” That’s what Zach said last Thursday night when the campers in his cabin were going around the room praying and thanking God for the decisions that were made at the Campfire service.

Ethan the counselor took Zach out on the front porch to talk about it after the rest of the campers went to bed. Ethan and Zach talked till almost 2:00 in the morning but still Zack was reluctant to put his trust in God. The next morning after Bible hour, Ethan and Zach met again. This time his eyes were opened and his scales fell off and he accepted Christ as his Savior with about 20 hours of camp time to spare. But Zach was up on Friday night giving a card board testimony.

Zach is indicative of the awesome week we had at Word of Life Florida Youth Camp last week. We had a mixed group of over 400 campers. Many of them were scholarship campers from the various missions around Florida. God did an incredible work as 39 of them accepted Christ as Savior on Saturday night as Mike Calhoun presented the Gospel message. . It was so great to see them grow in their faith as Rob Phillips taught Bible Hour from the book of Luke. Mike also spoke for the campfire service and what a blessing to see over 300 of our campers respond to the invitation.

The conference center was totally full and the leaders had a great week. One leader that has been coming here for 8 year told me it was the best week for they had ever spent here for their campers and their leaders.

We are so thankful for the blessing of God on the ministry. This week we are hosting our first ever “middle school camp”. We are stoked at the prospects of working with this group.

Week 4 Update for Florida Youth Camp

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

WORD OF LIFE FLORIDA OUTLAW SUMMER – WEEK 4

Can you say, “Teens Involved”? Well that was the operative word for week 4 at Word of Life Florida. We had another completely full week with 432 campers and over 90 guests in the Conference Center. The campers came from 12 states and two foreign countries. What a great week to watch God move in hearts and lives.

God moved in hearts on Saturday night when Ric Garland preached the Gospel message and 15 campers responded to the invitation for Salvation. God moved in hearts and lives in the Bible Hour each morning as Paul Woods taught a series entitled “Live Strong” from the book of I Peter.

God moved in hearts and lives on Tuesday night as we presented the Bible Institute and received 52 BI applications. Again, He was at work on Wednesday night after the drama, when the front of the auditorium filled up with students getting sin out of their lives.

Thursday night was our Campfire night and again we saw the strong work of the Spirit of God in lives as over 250 campers responded to the invitation to serve God with their lives.

The week culminated on Friday night with cardboard testimonies. These testimonies helped our campers, counselors and staff to visualize the work of the Spirit of God in their lives.

My favorite cardboard testimony was from a young man named Matt. Matt is a leader in his church youth group, a very talented young man who plays the guitar, sings and leads worship. Every time I saw Matt, I thought, “Wow, could use him. He should come to the WOLBI.” Our praise team leader talked to him about the BI. Our admissions staff talked to him about the BI and I talked to him personally. No deal – he was going to FSU. On Thursday at Lunch, we had a fine arts luncheon where we invited the most talented Teens Involved Competitors to lunch to talk about the music and drama opportunities at WOLBI. Matt was a little bit more interested.

Then on Friday night at the testimonies Matt walked up to on the platform with a cardboard testimony that said on one side: “My will, FSU.” Then he turned it over where it said, “God’s will, WOLBI.” The whole crowed erupted into applause. We all realized how much God can use a talented young man who is totally committed to God’s agenda.

Continue to pray. Week 5 is well under way with over 400 campers again. We are grateful to God for the opportunities.

Week 2 Update for WOL Florida Youth Camp

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Week 2 of Teen Camp – flew by with so much great activity. With over 370 campers and over 80 youth leaders in the Conference Center we had a full camp. By week two our BI students were just beginning to understand what counseling is all about and were excited for ministry with the new campers that attended. Florida decided to enter into its rainy season, so every day brought new adjustments as we worked around the weather and all the rain that God provided for us. Fifty-six decisions made for God. Kyle Gray (one of our LCM guys from Texas) was our speaker for the week and Tuesday morning Bible Hour with the story of Jonah – many campers, staff and guests gave up that one thing they have been holding on to. Comments from that meeting, “The best ever meeting I have ever attended here at Word of Life Florida” and “Life-changing challenge – a message from the Word I hope to never forget.” We want to share a couple of other quotes from campers that received scholarships to this week’s camp – it impacted their life in a big way. Thank you for praying for and continue to pray for the 6 weeks we have left to minister to children and teens.

“Thank you for sending me to the Word of Life Camp. I’ve had a lot of fun so far with the games that we’ve played. We’re studying the book of Jonah, and we’ve learned more about God’s mercy and of his methods of actively and passionately pursuing us. I love this camp because not only is it fun, but it also helps expand my knowledge of God. Thank you” – Jasper B.

“I am so thankful of the scholarship that was given to me. It has been a major experience for me. This camp was fun with all of the activities this week. I have felt the best love and car I have ever felt from God and His Word. I was saved and put in God’s hands. I was given a spot in heaven and it felt amazing. I am thankful for the people letting me come here and it has truly been life saving.” Michael L.

Please pray for Week 3 – our first week of Juniors and Dave and Jill Ferguson as they speak and challenge these children. We are preparing for Teens Involved Week coming up this Saturday – again another full week of campers and leaders. Tom and Fay are in their second week in El Salvador ministering with Student Fusion – they have reported back great meetings and many, many decisions – we are excited to get them back home this coming weekend and hear of all the great stories they have to share.

Update for Week 3 - WOL Florida Youth Camp 2012

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Week 3 Update for Word of Life Florida.
The first week of our Junior Camps has come and gone. We had 434 campers here with over 100 adults in the Conference Center. I don’t really think we could have stuffed in one more camper. This is the week that changes everything our counselors thought they knew about counseling… because they were working with 7 to 12 year olds after two weeks of teen camp. Relating to them and getting them to talk about their relationship with God was totally different then Teen Camp. They had to be creative, loving, a parent, patient, funny, good at breaking up squabbles, basically “Super Counselor” because they did all this on very little sleep. But at the end of the week, so many lives were changed with over 43 making decisions for Christ and many more deciding to renew their walk with God.

Dave and Jill Ferguson were the speakers for the week – one of our highlighted weeks as the “summer junior skit” comes alive with its new story and this year new actors. Each morning we couldn’t wait to hear what the next action filled day would bring. Here is a testimony from one of our church leaders

“It was a hard week starting with head lice, badly sprained ankle, one teen getting dehydrated, and one of our girls getting 4 front teen all but knocked out (spent the day at the dentist). In spite of Satan’s efforts to keep our teens from having a good week they did – probably had the greatest week spiritually in all our years attending – Teens really caught a glimpse of the need to get into God’s Word – two of ours got saved – Bradlee and Gary.” Cindy Ramirez

Listening to the counselors share their weeks adventures, will bless anyone privileged to hear the stories. Each one sharing that special time with a camper or how God spoke to them personally through one of the messages. They are excited as God is challenging them and growing them this summer as they trust Him to meet their needs as they counsel.
We are anxious awaiting for our “leader” (Tom and Fay Phillips and the team) to return to us with the group that went to El Salvador. We are excited to hear the many stories that they will be sharing with us in the weeks to come. Final tally for this trip was 5571 ministered to and 2103 salvation decisions.

Please pray for Week 4 – International Teens Involved and our speakers will be Ric Garland and Paul Woods – should be challenging for all these Teens that are learning about service for our King.

Week One Update 2011 Florida Youth Camp

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Word of Life Florida Youth Camp Week 1

Sara came to Word of life Florida Youth Camp two summers ago as a scholarship camper. That summer she made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior. Her life was changed and she began to change and grow in her new found faith. She began to go to church with her dad and came back to camp last summer. Last summer Sara really developed a burden for souls and stepped forward at the campfire service to dedicate her life to be a missionary.

Since last summer, Sara brought her unsaved mom and grandparents to the “Sights and Sounds of Christmas” here on campus and saw her mom and grandparents receive Christ. Sara’s mom and dad began attending church together and just before Sara came to camp last Saturday for the third straight year, her dad agreed to work with the fledgling youth group at their church.

Well, this week Sara has been part of our week 1 crowd of 393 campers plus 82 youth leaders in the conference center. It has been our best first week ever. We saw 72 students receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior when Joe Jordan presented the Gospel message last Saturday night. Since then, a myriad of other Spiritual decisions as the Lord worked in hearts. Chris Finchum has been our Bible Hour speaker and taught through the book of Philippians emphasizing our example on Day 1, our Passion on day 2, our humility on day 3, our focus on day 4 and our contentment on day 5. In the evening sessions we taught through the Beatitudes, culminating with the dedication service on Thursday night where 100s of campers walked forward to dedicate their bodies to God.

Did I tell you that it has been the best first week of camp ever?

Please continue to pray for WOL Florida Youth Camp as another 390 campers will register for week 2.

Man, is it fun to work with Camp. We are all pinching ourselves here that we get to do this. Oh yeah, back to Sara. Last night at the campfire service, Sara again acknowledged God’s call on her life to be a missionary. What a blessing.

Transformation is Taking Place

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Here at Word of Life Florida we are totally transforming our campus into a western town for summer camp. This involves putting new names on the cabins, building a western set in the GTAC, decorating the lobby to look kind of like Cracker Barrel, finding western wear for all of our staff and doing detail planning of the meetings, the activities, the meals, and the facilities.

We have such an incredible staff and our staff works together so well in planning and preparing for camp. All of this preparation reminds me that the most important preparation we can do is the Spiritual preparation. There is the preparation that God does in the minds and hearts of the staff as we move into staff training week. Next week, our staff of about 250 will go through hours of training. There will be work projects in the afternoon every day and there will be fun activities that will help our staff learn to work as teams. There is also the preparation that goes on in each group as the leaders plan their trip to WOL Camp in detail. Finally there is the preparation by the Spirit of God in the life of each camper that comes here. We pray that when the campers arrive, their heart will be prepared for the ministry of the Word, the wisdom of their counselor and the work of the Spirit of God in their lives.

Please pray with us that the summer of 2011 will be an very productive and fruitful in the lives of the campers that come here. Howard Hendrix has said, “Over 80% of significant Spiritual decisions that are made by students are made at camp. We already have over 2700 campers registered and we are praying for at least 3,000 campers here at Word of Life Florida this summer. As you pray, pray for our camp leadership, our counselors, our speakers and our program to bring honor to the Lord.

Bible Institute Testimony * Kyle *

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Kyle

The Word of Life Bible Institute has truly been used by God to make the Word of God come alive. Before I made the decision to come to the Bible Institute, my life was all about me. I had been living on my own since I was 17 years old. After finishing high school, I became involved in a relationship that was not God honoring, and my life was wrapped up in this girl. This relationship drained everything I had and after it ended I hit rock bottom. I looked for any avenue that I could to fill the void that was now there. Whether it was parties, prescription anti-depressants, relationships, or alcohol nothing could make it go away. Then one night God caught my attention through my local church, and after that I was never the same. God showed me that He would not chase me forever, and that I was about to miss out on something great that He had for me. From that night on, I knew that I had to surrender to Him and His will. The journey to the Bible Institute was not an easy one. God really forced me to take a leap of faith and rely on Him. I can tell you one thing, that God is faithful to provide! He really is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides!! I needed to leave my job, my friends, and my family then rely fully on the financial support of others. And after living on my own for so long this was the biggest challenge I had faced. God provided all the money, and in May of 2010 I moved down to Hudson, FL to serve on the Summer Training Corps Staff. This is really where God showed me how valuable His Word, the Bible really is. As I went through the summer, the Word of God began to change the way I talked, my attitude, my leadership, and so many other areas of my life. I was challenged to be a leader in the STC department by sharing devos with my department and my unit. The impact that the summer of 2010 had on my walk with the Lord is unmeasurable. God is faithful to be right beside me, even when fall. I try to conduct my life by this verse, Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my I upon you." His will has something great in store for all His children, and I praise God for His grace and relentlessness. This year, going through the Bible book by has changed the way I see the Word of God. It is no longer a book of stories and lessons, but it is God's love letter to us, the manual for life! God and His Word filled the void in my life that nothing else could!

Outlaws for Christ

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Outlaws for Christ

We live in a world where it is becoming more and more difficult to stand up for Christ as a young person. Laws are being passed to keep us from speaking out on issues like gay marriage, abortion and other issues that the Bible addresses. In Acts 4:19 Peter and John, when answering for their bold witness said “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge. This summer at camp we want to teach our students that speaking out for God will not always make them popular, but the fact is we need to live our lives to please God. We will deliver this theme in the form of a high energy, western style them. There will be sheriffs and deputies and outlaws all set in an old western town.

Of course all of this theme-work and energy is the vehicle that opens the door to all our leadership to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are praying for 3000 summer campers and for the first time ever in Florida we will have a Middle School week along with 4 teen weeks and 3 Jr. Weeks. Great speakers, great music, fantastic food and the best counselors in the whole Southeast will make our camp that much better.

Tom Phillips Blog

Week 7 Update from Florida Youth Camp

Week 6 Update WOLFL Youth Camp

Week 5 Update

Week 4 Update for Florida Youth Camp

God moved in hearts on Saturday night when Ric Garland preached the Gospel message and 15 campers responded to the invitation for Salvation. God moved in hearts and lives in the Bible Hour each morning as Paul Woods taught a series entitled “Live Strong” from the book of I Peter.

God moved in hearts and lives on Tuesday night as we presented the Bible Institute and received 52 BI applications. Again, He was at work on Wednesday night after the drama, when the front of the auditorium filled up with students getting sin out of their lives.

Thursday night was our Campfire night and again we saw the strong work of the Spirit of God in lives as over 250 campers responded to the invitation to serve God with their lives.

The week culminated on Friday night with cardboard testimonies. These testimonies helped our campers, counselors and staff to visualize the work of the Spirit of God in their lives.

Continue to pray. Week 5 is well under way with over 400 campers again. We are grateful to God for the opportunities.

Week 2 Update for WOL Florida Youth Camp

Update for Week 3 - WOL Florida Youth Camp 2012

Week One Update 2011 Florida Youth Camp

Transformation is Taking Place

Bible Institute Testimony * Kyle *

Outlaws for Christ

Outlaws for Christ

Just click on the Camp schedule and you can see the weeks and prices. We’ll see you here this summer.