This past week Miracle Camp and Retreat Center registered campers that broke the previous record for total number of campers in a summer.  The previous mark of 1,409 was set in 2002.  This year's total numbers will be 1,416.  While camp isn't all about numbers, it has been encouraging to see the growth over the past three years.  In 2005 there were 1,047 campers, in 2006 there were 1,143, and in 2007 there were 1,229.  That is a 35% increase over 3 years.

More than the number of kids exposed to Miracle Camp, we are excited to see the changed lives.  This year there has been more than 100 decisions to follow Christ and many more who have grown deeper in their personal relationship with Him.

Thanks for your support in making this a great summer!

This past week, the hull of our Hydrodyne Ski boat ripped apart and the boat partially sank, flooding the engine with water and leaving it totalled.  We were unable to take campers tubing and waterskiing for the rest of that week as a result.  We have found a boat as a replacement to get us through the summer, but are still looking for another boat to provide redundancy in case of mechanical failure and to allow us to take multiple groups of campers tubing at a time.

We are looking for a reliable, inboard ski boat that we could use on a daily basis in the summer.  If you or anyone you know could donate a boat to the ministry, we would greatly appreciate it.

Be sure to check out our YouTube page for a weekly highlight video of each week of camp. You can relive the excitement from your week and email it to all of your friends and family members. We will post the video of each week of camp on the web after the week is over.  The video above is from this past junior high 1 camp session.

If you would like to purchase the DVD you can email us at info@miraclecamp.com or call us at (800) 354-9609.

Be sure to check out our photo gallery for pictures of your week of camp after you return home.  Each week we try to get pictures of the week so you can remember your activities, your friends, and your counselor.  If you have a great picture of your week of camp that you would like to share you can send it to us at info@miraclecamp.com

You can also upload pictures of your week of camp to flickr.com.  Sign up for an account and find the Miracle Camp photo group.  You can add your photos to the group and they will be shown on our website and are available for friends and others to see!

We recently completed a new entrance to Miracle Camp and Retreat Center.  The next time you drive here you will see that our entrance has been simplified into one large entrance that will work for charter busses as well as making the entrance and exit safer for cars.  We installed 10 main street light poles with banners, built two new signs, added lanscaping, and hope that these additions will improve our hospitality and create a great first impression for our guests.

We also just finished construction of our hockey rink on the Back 40 side of the road.  We are excited to use this this summer for roller hockey as well as flood the rink for ice hockey in the winter.  We are currently in the process of installing 45 foot poles to light the athletic fields, the hockey rink, outdoor basketball courts, waterfront, and the mini golf course.

In response to the recent storms here at MC, WoodTV did a follow up story on the safety procedures, specifically in regards to storms, that are present at summer camps. In review of the week's recent events, we are pleased to know that our emergency procedures work well and that lives have been saved as a result. We pray that God will continue to keep us safe as we do our best to be prepared and alert at all times. Click here to read more information about the storm and our safety procedures.

News Channel 8 covered the cleanup of Miracle Camp the day after the storm.

Click here to watch the video

Click here to read the abstract.

There was also an article in the Kalamazoo Gazette about the storm and several locations affected by the storm.

Click here to read the article

Here is some news footage on the storm from CBS Local News Channel 3 from last night.

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to read the article from Channel 3

MSNBC has an article about the cleanup and storm damage for Miracle Camp on their website as well.

A severe storm passed through Miracle Camp and Retreat Center last night at 4:30pm destroying 15 trees, knocking down several powerlines, and damaging several roof tops of buildings.  Thankfully, everyone had taken shelter in Bankson Lodge at the time of the storm and no injuries occured.

In response to the storm, more than 50 volunteers were on site and helping with cleanup within an hour of the damage.  The next day more than 100 volunteers came from around the midwest from Morton, IL; Metamora, IL; Cleveland, OH, Archbold, OH; West Unity, OH; Grabill, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Lawton, MI; and many other locations to help with the cleanup.

The local power company is on site repairing downed power lines and a local tree company is removing dangerous hanging limbs.

We are happy to report that our first camp, Grade School 1, session is still scheduled to start tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.

Praise the Lord for his faithfulness in helping us recover from this storm!