The Stewart Clan

September 2015

From left to right: Stewart Tidwell, Caitlin Tidwell, Jen Stewart, Craig Stewart, and Diane Ashburn.

capitol of Europe. Would you

believe that in the midst of the
We have returned from Berlin,
darkness of Berlin, light is
having had the privilege of leading beginning to shine again? Ancient
a small team from our church (as church buildings are used as
you well know). We first met our museums, but little evangelical
teammates in our City Group.
church plants are springing up
They have become dear friends
through the ash. Many of the kids
and this trip has only knit our
we worked with at camp were
hearts closer together. The Lord
from some of those local
grew each of us and used us to
churches. The others were nonchange lives. It was a joy serving
believing friends from all over the
alongside them!
city. By the end of our time
Its pretty cool to be along for the together, every one of them was
ride when God is at work building able to hear the message of
His Kingdom. Berlin is one of the Christ. But lets start at the
beginning
most strategic and influential
cities in Europe. Reach Berlin and Upon arriving, we joined 4 others
you reach the EU! It was once the from Pennsylvania to help with a
headquarters of such evil in WWII kids summer camp. We all
and has been described, by one
meshed quite well. We genuinely
missionary friend, as the atheist
enjoyed our time with everyone

our trip to berlin

and consider it an honor to have

served alongside them.

training & prep

We kicked off with a couple days
of training and planning, all led by
our fearless leaders Jay Eastman,
Christina Klukow, and Sarah
Smith.
This time enabled us to adjust to
our new surroundings, get to
know our other teammates,
prepare for the camp crafts and
games, and dig a bit deeper into our
hearts and minds. We talked about
our expectations, culture, goals,
obstacles, roles, risks, leadership,
and prayer. There were so many
good truths packed into those little
words. Things many of us will
always remember.

met in a big tent for worship and

teaching. Every night looked
After training we headed to camp! different for us. One night we
Now, we want you to picture a
walked through the camp praying
summer camp for kids in America. over each tent. Another night we
Okay, remove that from your
circled the meeting tent over and
mind and replace it with this: 160 over again praying that the Lord
kids, many dressed like Indians to would open up ears and hearts to
one degree or another, in huge
hear the Good News. Some nights
white tents on acres of land
we prayed for the kitchen staff,
surrounded by big beautiful trees. illnesses, weather you name it
Picture nearly everything at the
and we prayed! It was incredible.
campsites crafted, quite skillfully, We even had camp staffers
by the campers- chairs, benches,
coming up asking for prayer!
tables, shelves, games like Twister
Most of us had never prayed so
and bowling all made from trees
intensely for so long before, but it
and string. Seriously. All of that to
was beautiful. When we prayed
say, we have since reconsidered
for the rain to stop, it did. When
our thoughts on kids and
we prayed for people to know
hatchets. It was truly amazing to
Jesus, they met Him. When we
see the creativity and ingenuity of
asked for illness to stop
the campers!
spreading, it ceased. It was God
who granted those prayers and
God who made things happen.
We had a wonderful time meeting
The most impacting part for us
the campers each morning for
was the fact that so many people
crafts. Despite the language
who knew nothing about each
barrier, we managed to
other were united because of the
communicate. We even got to
bond they had in following Jesus.
know some of them. Since the
theme was Indians, we were busy Because of that bond we were able
to sincerely labor in prayer for one
making headdresses, vests,
jewelry, and homemade lacrosse another. It really enhanced our
understanding of the meaning of
sticks from, you guessed it, trees
community and what it looks like
and string (a story for another
to really intercede on behalf of
time).
someone else.
Canoeing was another great
activity we got to do for the kids.
They spent the morning in search
of the duck decoys we put out on The last night of camp was so
wonderful. After the campers
the lake after our breakfast. Oh
were picked up by family, the staff
the stories we could tell
went out to the lake to sing, read
All of that to say, a fun time was
Scripture, pray, and celebrate the
had by all!
baptisms of 4 people. During that
time, our dear friends Stewart and
Caitlin Tidwell, were asked to
Each night we were given the
share their story (with Jay as the
privilege of praying while the kids

camp, germany style

a typical day at camp

baptisms & a feast

prayer

interpreter). Stewart was recently

diagnosed with terminal brain
cancer. He and his wife were able
to share that story and how they
are able to trust the Lord and
hope in His good plan. It was a
tear jerker for sure! Very moving
and so beautiful.
We ended the time at the lake
with communion. After that, a
feast began! We arent sure weve
ever had such a grand feast
before! Wild boar was served with
food as far as the eye could see.
The stuff of heaven perhaps.

thank you
We had a very special time in
Berlin. Its a trip we will never
forget. It was an honor to be able
to serve at the camp the way we
did. How impossible it all is to
put into words. Hopefully though
youve gotten a peek into what
our time looked like.
This opportunity would not have
been possible without your
prayers and financial generosity.
Once again, we would like to
extend our warm appreciation for
your kindness and support. Thank
you for partnering with us! May
the Lord bless you for all you have
done. We are sincerely grateful.
***
For photos (of the camp and more) as
well as even more details on our trip,
join our Germany Mission Team 2015
Facebook Group.