Sunday Morning at Camp

It's a beautiful cool, partly cloudy morning at camp. After meeting briefly with site teams, we enjoyed breakfast prepared by the kitchen crew: delicious quiche and homemade cinnamon rolls! Then, we gathered for worship and chapel.

Campus Pastor, Rob Starke, asked all of TKA's alumni who are serving in Tecate to come forward.  There are 17 alumni here! What a great legacy and testament to this vision Paul Spates initiated 26 years ago to go serve, to build houses for local families, and to build relationships! Three of the alumni are now TKA staff members. What a privilege to have these alumni working side-by-side with our current students.  The alumni include:

Erika Fushiki, '14
Austin Ghiossi, '07
Brandon Ghiossi, '00
Simon Gober, '02
Reynold Henry, '06
Iain Jahde, '15
Stephen Kmak, '12
Melissa McIntyre, '12
Daniel Menche, '12
Amir Pappu, '12
Stephen Petiti, '08, Staff
Trent Portman, '17
Emma Ramirez, '13
Stacey Reed, '06, Staff
Brelynn Shirey, '11
Marcus Solis, '06
Ben Vidovich,'09, Staff

Next, the student worship team taught some new songs, with hand motions, and then we were blessed to hear from A-Team Lead and TKA alumni, Austin Ghiossi. Austin gave his testimony and related his struggle of self worth caused in part by comparing himself to others and feeling he didn't measure up, he didn't feel worthy.  He told the students he understood it is a "blessing and a curse" to grow up in Silicon Valley where there are so many people who excel and there is so much wealth.  While there is nothing wrong with seeking to be excellent in athletics, academics, relationships or other pursuits, the hole we seek to fill, to feel worthy, can only come from God's love. Austin shared that he learned there is nothing you can do to be a "better Christian" since God loves us completely as we are.  As Christians, what we share is our mutual brokenness. And, what more could God do to show us we are enough and how much He loves us than sacrificing His son.  Austin's remarks were so powerful and his message set the tone of what we all hope and pray our students, especially, will take from this service experience: a deeper understanding of the transformative power of God's love.

The teams gathered with much anticipation and excitement as they left for their sites to meet their families and start building relationships and houses - just like they did on the first Tecate trip 26 years ago!