Adventure Awaits at Journey Camp

Pastor Donnie is 52, loves baseball, French Fries, and estate sale hunting with his wife Karen. His favorite verse is 1 John 3:16 and enjoys preparing  younger generations for ministry. 

When asked what day he would live over again Donnie replied, "Today. Today is the greatest day of my life. My aim is to live each day to the fullest and leave nothing undone."

"My passion for this ministry is to give students in Romania the opportunity to experience church camp like we do in America. I want them to know what it's like to leave the world behind and just let God work in their hearts."

Pray for Pastor Donnie as he and Matt French lead the Journey Camp Romania Team.

Pastor Matthew French is 42 loves football and Hockey, and his favorite athlete is Steve Wojciechoswki. Seafood is his favorite food and relishes teaching his kids to hunt, fish and exploring new trails with his wife Rachelle and their four children.

His favorite bible book is Romans and his verse is John 3:30. Matt’s favorite ministry moment took place one day, “After preaching what I felt like was one of my best sermons ever, a visitor little boy walked up to me with worn out clothes and dingy hair and motioned for me to bend down.  I expected him to say, ‘Good job.’ or, ‘I really like this church.’  Instead of praising words, he said, ‘Mr. Sir, will you tie my shoes?’  The Holy Spirit has a way of always humbling his servants.”

If he could relive one day it would be Thanksgiving Day 2004.  “It was the day that I asked the most beautiful woman in the world to spend a lifetime of craziness with me…spoiler alert, she said yes.”

Pastor Matt brings his incredible leadership skills and will have a hand in teaching and leading our team.

 Michael Draper is 41, loves American football and basketball, and his favorite athlete is the great Dirk Nowitzki. Enjoying seafood, hunting, fishing, camping, and sports are among his favorite pastimes. His favorite book of the Bible is John and his verse is John 16:33.

One of the events Michael relishes from his past is, “A moment when our worship team finished practice and everyone sat in a circle off the stage, and started worshipping. There was no audience, no applause to be had, just us and God. That moment it didn’t matter the timing, the harmony, or the participants. The only thing that mattered was worshipping Jesus.”

The greatest day of his life was December 28, 1998, when he gave his life to Christ while attending Winter Camp in Colorado. Michael has a great deal of experience leading worship and we are blessed he and his wife Kori as part of our team! 

 Brock is 15 years old, loves baseball, Mexican food, playing video games, and playing his guitars. His favorite book of the Bible is Revelation and his verse is Colossians 1:20. A favorite ministry moment is the night he surrendered to be a missionary. The one day he would enjoy reliving is the day the Texas Rangers won the World Series. Brock says, "I'm going to bring fun, hard work, and worship to the team!" 

 Korian “Kori” Draper is 40, loves hiking, being outside, spending time with family, and reading, especially Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. Her favorite thing to eat is seafood! She loves the Gospel of Matthew and her verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

A favorite ministry moment involved “Sitting around the table with other wives of the leaders of our church being discipled. Watching Jesus work through us and being able to walk through life with them. Digging deeper into the Bible and discussing how getting closer to Jesus has changed us.”

What one day would Kori relive if given the chance? “June 26th, 2011, the Sunday I watched 2 of my nieces get saved. It was the turning point for the rest of my life.”

Kori will bring her ability to teach to our team with a heavy dose of compassion, love, and kindness. She shares, “I want to show them the Love of Jesus, not just talk about it.” Her husband Michael is also part of our team, and we are thankful to have this dynamic duo with us this summer!