DIRT Update

With our new location at Sequoyah Caverns and 98 participants, DIRT Camp could not have been anything less than “The Best DIRT Camp Ever”.  Students loved the worship time in the caverns’ “Ball Room” where lives were changed every night. We experienced 6 salvations, 31 rededications, and 29 other spiritual decisions!

Each morning the students went out and got their hands dirty while racking up over 550 volunteer-hours of community service. They served at assisted living and nursing homes, remodeled an elderly man’s bathroom, cut fire wood, did yard work, cleaned-up people’s property, cool sealed roofs and anything else we ask them to do. Each day two teams went to downtown Chattanooga to respectfully share their faith through conversations and tracting. Many students said this was one of the highlights of camp!

As a new twist this year, we let the students choose their adventures. We offered Caving, Skeet Shooting, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Canoeing, Disk Golf, Ultimate Frisbee, Swimming, Mountain Hiking and of course the famous Mud Bowl! We also had exciting games, food challenges and the “Mayonnaise Skit” (you just had to be there!). Soon we will have a camp video available that can be viewed on our web site. The video will include the “Mayonnaise Skit”.

As always, camp was not without it’s challenges. Many students stayed in tents this year and we had some storms that drove us into a local community center one night. We picked-up a few bumps and bruises and by the end of camp we were all worn out, but without all that it would not be camp.

For all of you who have prayed and all who have given donations to sponsor students and underwrite this camp, there are no words to express our gratitude. Because of your partnership in this ministry many students and adults have been touched spiritually. You are the heroes of DIRT Camp. You may not have been there physically, but I carried you in my heart every moment of camp...

THANK YOU!

The Mission Metroplex
For the fourth year in a row, Brian Lee has headed up a spring break mission trip. Brian is a DIRT Crew board member and youth pastor at Eastwood Baptist in Marietta, Georgia. This year Brian took his team of leaders and students to Arlington, Texas. Every morning to early afternoon they served the Mission Metroplex which consists of multiple ministry outlets including food, furniture and clothing warehouses and a medical clinic. In the afternoons they presented the “Rainbow Express” backyard Bible club at a local apartment community. During the week five children prayed to received Christ! Congratulations to Brian and his team for a mission well done.

The Liquid Highway
Another DIRT Crew board member, Chuck Carver, took his Venture Crew canoeing down the Santa Fe River in High Springs Florida. Four of the ten students are in the Juvenile Justice System. Here is a wonderful glimpse of the trip shared by Chuck in his update...

“We saw springs along the river some of which were producing twenty to thirty million gallons of water per day and so clear you could see all the way to the bottom. At the end of the day I could not pass up the opportunity to talk about  “Living Water”. During this trip we were able to build relationships with all the students and we look forward to camping and other activities with them in the future and more opportunities to share Jesus Christ. Please pray for the four guys in Juvenile Justice: Ty, Matthew, Brandon, and Jose. I hope that during this trip down the liquid highway that seeds took root in their hearts that would grow up into salvation.”

Brian and Chuck also serve as two of the primary leaders at DIRT Camp and I and so thankful to serve beside them. Speaking of DIRT Camp, I need you to keep praying because it is less than a month away! Pray for souls to be saved and lives to be forever changed. I can’t wait to see what God might do in answering our prayers and honoring your generous financial gifts.

When talking about DIRT Camp, every year we say, “This is going to be the best DIRT Camp ever!” and that statement alway proves to be true. Well, this year just saying, “best camp ever” is not big or grand enough to describe DIRT Camp 2010. This year’s camp is going to be EPIC in proportion compared to anything we have done in the past. That is why we are calling it “EPIC Adventure”.

Everyone involved senses something awesome shaping up that can only be described as “GOD-sized”. For example, I already have 17 young adults (college students and young professionals) who have applied to be our team leaders this year. Also, it is very likely that our attendance could double from last year. Wow! I am more excited about this year’s DIRT Camp than ever because more students means more lives being touched by Christ. I am most excited because I know there will be some students that will give their lives to Christ at camp. Praise God!

For the first time ever, I am going to reveal some of our big “Secrets” for this year’s camp. As many of you know we like to keep our camp plans a secret because we love the element of surprise. Although, this year I just can’t keep quiet about it so here goes:

Sequoyah Caverns - We are renting the entire property of Sequoyah Caverns! This property has a complete camp ground with bath houses, swimming pool, hiking trails, fishing ponds, and of course the caverns. By renting this property we will be able to offer an option to those who are interested in tent camping. Students can bring their own tents or they can bunk in one of the two large event tents we will have setup with cots.

Worship in the Cave - Now here is the best part of having the Sequoyah property. All of our worship gatherings will be inside the caverns! Have you ever heard singing in a cave? It’s like singing in the bathroom, everyone sounds good. I believe this is going to be an amazing experience and likely the only camp in America having worship services inside a cave.

More Activities - This year we are going to have almost twice as many activities for students to enjoy. Everything from swimming to extreme adventures of which I will keep secret for now (got to save something for the element of surprise).

More Missions - With twice as many students, that means twice as many missions. More serving in the community with the love of Christ. More lives touched, more good things accomplished, more students experiencing the blessings of service.

Now, Are You Excited About DIRT Camp?
I hope you are so excited about this year’s DIRT Camp that you will make a commitment to do your part:

We Need People to Pray
First and most important, we need people everywhere praying. This really is a God size event that is bigger than all of us. This is our Jordan to cross and we have already stepped into the water. We are trusting God to carry us amazingly through this EPIC adventure. Pray for the safety and protection of everyone attending the camp. Pray for our strength because this will be a physically and emotionally challenging week for both students and leaders. Pray for souls to be saved and lives to be forever changed.

We Need People to Give
Second, we need people to give financially. By faith we have committed more resources to camp than ever before. I know God can cover the cost easily through His people. That is how God pays for every ministry He leads. So I would ask you to consider what would be your part? Is it as one of our prayer warriors? Is it to be one of our financial champions? Please participate however you can. By your participation you can rejoice in the celebration once this camp has proven to be a “GOD-sized” success!

Click here for Camp registration information

WHAT WOULD SUPERCROSS BE WITHOUT DIRT?
Bryan Fox, youth pastor at Northwest Church in Acworth, Georgia, organized one awesome event. He teamed up with the Village Church and Eastwood Baptist to take over 100 students to the Supercross in Atlanta. Everyone enjoyed a night of racing, but they also did some planned witnessing while they were there. Here is a portion of Bryan’s email recapping the event...

“We ended up with 127 in attendance. At least 110 of them were students. This event was a little different in that we did as much evangelism to those we brought along as we did to those we were witnessing too. Our students did a great job of utilizing this event to invite their friends. This meant that there were a ton of unsaved people in our group and it gave the saved students some great opportunities to set the example for their friends.

It was great for the students from the different Churches to be able to interact and get to build some friendships that I hope will grow into long term relationships. We need to keep having these multi-group events. It stretches the kids, expands their sphere of friends, and gives them opportunities to meet other great Christian students from the area. Just think, some day a group of these students may decide to join together and start another church in one of their neighborhoods. You never know what may become of these multi-group events and the interactions of the students. -- Bryan”

DIRT CREW HEROES RESCUE A WOMAN BEING ATTACKED!
At this year's Winter DIRT Camp our theme was “Heart of a Hero”. Little did we know that Howard Brown (one of the attending youth pastors) and his wife Paige would find themselves being real life heroes in a daring rescue! As they left their church Monday night (March 1) they came upon a man attacking and stabbing a woman in the street. Before Howard could stop the van Paige jumped out and shoved the man off the woman. Howard chased him down and held him until the police arrived. Please pray for the victim’s recovery and thank the Lord that He protected Howard and Paige! Atlanta's 11 Alive News covered the story. You can read the story and watch the video of the news report on their web site. Click here...

SPRING BREAK MISSION TRIP TO TEXAS
Please be in prayer for Brian Lee as he is putting together his annual spring break mission trip. After several trips out of country (Mexico, Haiti and Honduras), this year Brian is taking students to Arlington, Texas. The mission team is a much younger group this year, therefore Brian wisely chose to stay in the states. Please be in pray asking God to orchestrate every detail of the mission and to provide all the funds that are needed. Students are hard at work raising funds for the cost of the trip. You could be instrumental in the ultimate success of the mission trip by sponsoring a student or just making a donation to be used as needed. If you would like to help simply make you check payable to “DIRT Crew” with “Texas Trip” in the memo line.

NOTE: 100% of the funds donated will go directly toward the costs of the trip. All donations to DIRT Crew Student Ministries are tax deductible. Statements are provided annually for tax preparation.

Mail Donations to:
Barry Dollar
DIRT Crew Student Ministries
3010 Wren Circle
Kennesaw, GA 30144

HEART OF A HERO!
Our theme for Winter DIRT Camp was “Heart of a Hero” and everything we did was designed to inspire students to allow Jesus Christ to give them a hero’s heart filled with His love. From start to finish, this camp was something very special and God’s presence was very real throughout.

LIVES WERE CHANGED FOREVER
We rejoiced as seven students accepted Christ as their Savior and eight others came forward to rededicate their lives to the Lord. In all, out of 75 attendees, there were 43 spiritual decisions made! Students committed to serve more, pray more, honor God more, and grow spiritually.

HEROES TO THE COMMUNITY
On Thursday and Friday, we sent teams of students out to serve in the community of Norman Park, Georgia. We visited and ministered at nursing homes. We served elderly folks by working in their yards and houses. We helped to beautify the community by raking and spreading pine straw in various locations. It was a blessing to partner with the Georgia Baptist Conference Center at Norman Park to log over 500 man hours of community service in two days. These students proved their hero’s heart!

HEROES TO THE WORLD
To drive home the “Heart of a Hero” message we did something really crazy. We put up $500.00 for students to win during camp. In selected competitions students could win $1.00 tokens that they would be able to cash in on the last day of camp. You can imagine how excited they were about that! Our scoring system allowed every participant to win anywhere from $6.00 to $18.00.

On the last day of camp we all gathered in Hope Chapel to allow students to cash-in their hard earned rewards. But instead of just handing out money, we handed out catalogs from Samaritan's Purse. These catalogs are a wonderful bridge to offer hope to the needy around the world. They offer the opportunity to purchase and send a wide range of items, from school supplies to water purification systems.

We promised the students that we would pay out cash to whoever wants it, but we also wanted to give them the opportunity to be a hero to the needy of our world. We shared that with the money due them, which for most would not even be enough to buy a CD, they could be a hero and change someone’s life forever. Needless to say most students grabbed up the catalogs and began to  browse the many opportunities to express their Hero’s Heart.

HERE IS WHERE IT REALLY GETS INTERESTING
There were some items that students could buy for $10 or less, but many of the high impact items were pretty expensive. For example, a goat cost $70 and a family water filter cost $100. Students started calling out, “Who wants to help buy a goat?” Others called out, “We are trying to buy medicine, who want’s to help us?” Teams of buyers began to form and their financial goals were soon reached with cheers! When the coins ran out I watched students start pulling their own money out of their pockets to help purchase items. As I think about it even now I’m almost moved to tears. It was thrilling and inspiring to see.

OUR HEROES’ FINAL TALLY
Here is what students were able to accomplish:

• 1 week of dinners for one hungry child.
• 30 seedling fruit trees for a family’s food and income.
• 2 Dairy animals for a family to have milk and income.
• 1 warm blanket for someone who is homeless.
• 4 life saving Mosquito nets to protect small children.
• 2 hungry babies will be fed for one week.
• 12 baby chicks for a family to have eggs and income.
• 50 people supplied with vital life saving medicines.
• 1 family water filter with health-and-hygiene training.
• 1 student took cash to buy groceries for her family.

Better yet, every item will be delivered by a Christian worker who will share the love of Christ with every individual. Now, I know you are wondering how many students took the cash. When we were all done over 90% of the students had given their earnings to Samaritan's Purse. That told me that we accomplished our goal to inspire students to be heroes!

I need to mention one last group of heroes. They are the handful of heroes that pray and give faithfully to this ministry. Without your prayers and financial support this camp would not have happened. Let’s rejoice together because today we have more treasure laid up in heaven!

1 Corinthians 3:8-9 “Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are laborers together with God.”

WE WANT TO WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Another year has come and is almost gone, but we still have Christmas! I am always excited about ending the year by looking to our Savior for joy and celebration as we spend some quality time with family and friends. I wish I could have a big party and invite all my friends, which definitely includes you. Maybe one day that will happen, but this year at least I can send a letter with sincere Christmas wishes for you and you family.

A lot has happened for the DIRT Crew this year and God has really blessed the ministry. So many lives have been touched with the love of Christ. It has not all been easy but it certainly has been worth it. If we could have that party I would invite everyone that we have ministered to, every student that has served and every adult that has supported the work. What a wonderful gathering that would be. However you fit in this picture I want to say THANK YOU! We love you and appreciate your service, prayers and support.

PARACHUTES FOR COLUMBIA
I am so proud of our middle schoolers at Piedmont Church. In 3 weeks time they raised almost $300 to buy materials to deliver parachutes to Voice of the Martyrs for the sake of dropping bibles and radios in the war torn jungles of Columbia. They not only raised the money but they also made  27 parachutes one Sunday afternoon. Along with the parachutes we provided the funds to purchase solar powered radios, spanish Bibles and other materials to be attached to each parachute. Pray with us that God would  guide each parachute to those who need the hope found in Christ.

WINTER DIRT CAMP WILL BE AWESOME
Please remember to pray for our first ever Winter DIRT Camp (Dec. 30 - Jan.2). I am so excited because the Lord has given us some brand new ideas that will make this camp very special. Because you give we can offer this camp below cost for students. We have many who could not come other wise. Thank you for believing in the DIRT Crew!

FINAL DESTINATION
October was filled with treats for the DIRT Crew starting with a road trip and overnight lock-in. On Friday, October 23, we headed west converging with other DIRT Crews at Dutton Baptist Church in Dutton Alabama. There we experienced the drama, “Final Destination” which is a very well produced presentation directed by Chris Griggs (One of our DIRT Crew youth pastors). From the opening scene of a father and daughter arguing, to the final scene overlooking the bottomless pit, this drama was riveting. Chris shared later that many received Christ during the three days of performances.

JASON’S HOUSE
From Dutton we headed north to the community center in Rising Fawn, Georgia (Home to Summer DIRT Camp), where we held an overnight lock-in. The next morning we traveled down the road to Trenton, Georgia where we enjoyed a country breakfast at the new Jason’s House. Chuck Carver is director of Jason’s House, a community youth ministry. This is a different model of youth ministry intended to reach students that may never walk into a church. Chuck Carver serves on the DIRT Crew board of directors and has been an instrumental partner in developing our DIRT Camps.

FCA HALLOWEEN NIGHT PARTY
On Halloween night I was invited to speak at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Halloween alternative party held at Piney Grove Baptist Church. The students, lead by Katlyn Pickle (DIRT Camp alumni), planned an awesome event right down to the fried Oreos! I spoke to the students about wearing masks. Did you know that “Hypocrite” literally means an actor wearing a mask?
At the end of the night I invited students to take off the masks of hypocrisy and breathe in the refreshing freedom found in Christ. This was an awesome event!

WINTER D.I.R.T. CAMP IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
The most important part of camp is our spiritual goal. We are praying for the hearts of students to be branded with the revelation that they should no longer live for themselves. We will inspire them to live for Christ knowing that one day they will stand before Him and lay their crowns (life's rewards) at His feet. Please join us in praying for the spiritual success of this camp.

I cannot share a lot of details because we love to keep the students in suspense, but I will tell you that this camp will be different from any camp we have ever done before. The Lord has shown us some fun and exciting twists. I can hardly wait to see how everything plays out. We are planning a surprise ending that I hope will be a home run in the hearts of everyone participating. We need your prayers as we approach this time. Join us in praying for student’s hearts to be touched, souls to be saved and lives to be forever changed.

This 4-day, 3-night trip will be held at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Norman Park, Georgia. The camp includes ringing in the new year with a bonfire, sparklers and marshmallows, a hay ride, competitive games & challenges, 2 days of community service, live praise & worship, inspirational messages, morning devotions, evening debriefings, 3 great meals each day, tasty snacks, comfortable accommodations and a camp tee for everyone.

How are we able to do all this for only $69 per student? Because of those who give!
We are offering this camp to students for less than what it costs to produce. If you are a financial contributor to this ministry, please know that your partnership helps to make this possible. Because of your giving we can minister at a high level with a low cost which gets more students to camp. THANK YOU!

CAMP REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE (click here)
You can find the online registration at dirtcrerw.org. On the right side of our home page there is a camp banner to click for the details. By the way, this is our new web site that we just launched. If you see any typos, broken links or any other problems please let us know.

IMPORTANT: We will likely exceed our budget for Winter DIRT Camp, so would you consider giving a donation to help underwrite this ministry event? Your financial support will help to provide transportation, bring students who can’t afford to attend and cover the additional expenses. All donations are tax deductible.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9 “Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are laborers together with God.”

There are rewards for the labor. Please join us in the work. God Bless!

Make checks payable to and mail to: DIRT Crew Student Ministires | 3010 Wren Circle, Kennesaw, GA 30144

SOON AFTER THE GEORGIA FLOODS were over SBC Disaster Relief contacted Chuck Carver (DIRT Crew director in Trenton, Georgia) with an invitation for the DIRT Crew to help with flood clean-up. I want you to read the story in Chuck’s own words, but first let me share that Chuck just lost his dad to cancer. He had been providing 24 hour care to his dad through his last days. Keep this family in your prayers. Chuck writes...

“Hey Guys,
Today was quiet a day that almost did not happen. I got the call Thursday afternoon to bring students and help with disaster relief in Trion, GA. Part of me did not want to go, I had not been home on Saturday in months and I had so much planned, but I decided to go anyway and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding days of my life.

One of the students that went with us was wearing an ankle bracelet, under the guidance of the Juvenile Justice department. Many of the guys working this day in disaster relief were guys I had worked with for years. I challenged them to tell me which student was in Juvenile Justice. They could not tell the difference because ALL the students worked so very hard.

I wished you could have experienced with me the following scene. We finished the last house and were wore out. The students were walking back to the car and I was trailing way behind them when I noticed that the disaster relief guys stopped the students, took off their hats and shook their hands.  When I caught up with them you could tell that these students had captured their love and upmost respect. You see, most working in disaster relief are older retired men and I think it really meant a lot to them to see students give up a Saturday to do some of the most awful work that a disaster relief team can do. It was nasty, it was wet and stunk so bad you wanted to throw-up but the students pressed on and it impressed these old saints and myself.

I really wished more youth pastors could realize just what they are missing. There is nothing to compare with helping students get their hands really dirty!

Take care. Your friend, Chuck Carver”

Hats off to Chuck Carver and the students from Trenton, Georgia, who were able to go at a moment’s notice to get their hands dirty in Jesus’ name!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Words made famous is some past political campaign actually fit the scene last Wednesday night. I had the privilege of speaking to an up and coming DIRT Crew group at the Village Church in Hapeville, GA. Some of you might recognize that name because the Village Church had joined the DIRT Crew back in 2006. Due to a series of circumstances, the Village DIRT Crew fell by the wayside until recently when they introduced the new Youth Director, Howard Brown.

Last month I met with Howard and Pastor Ray for lunch to share the DIRT Crew vision, and Howard immediately got it! Since then he has been full steam ahead in reintroducing the DIRT Crew to a whole new group of students that are multiplying every week. When we met a month ago, Howard said they might have a half dozen students. When I showed up last Wednesday evening, I spoke to about 30 plus! I remember telling Howard at lunch that day that if we will honor God He will honor us, and the DIRT Crew philosophy is a God honoring ministry. Little did I know how quickly God would honor Howard’s commitment to implement the DIRT Crew.

I shared with the students that they are a very special generation. They may even be the generation that ushers in the return of Christ! Our world is desperately in need of some heros, and this Millennium generation of students have a God given desire to change the world. This is the foundation of DIRT Crew. Our role is to equip these students for the adventure of a lifetime; the adventure of being a hero to this lost and dying world with the love of Christ.

BARGAIN OF THE YEAR: $69 WINTER DIRT CAMP!
Our call to action is “Come Get Your Hands Dirty!”, and one upcoming opportunity is a Winter DIRT Camp in Norman Park, Georgia. Students will be attending from several churches including the Village Church. The dates are Wednesday, December 30, 2009, through Saturday, January 2, 2010. While there, we will provide hundreds of hours of community service all around Norman Park. Planning is underway and sign-up information will go out very soon. Please join me in asking God for 100+ students to attend.

This is a 4-day trip that we are offering at only $69 per student. Think about that - 3 nights lodging, 8 meals, transportation while there, study materials and all activities for $69! If you know a student who would like to go, or if you would like to bring a youth group, please contact me for the details. My email and phone number are below.

IMPORTANT: We will likely exceed our budget for this camp, so would you consider giving a donation to help underwrite this and the many other events we provide? Also, with every event comes the need to cover the cost for students who can’t afford to attend. Would you please consider sponsoring a student for $69. Share with us in the rewards of this ministry!

Acts 20:35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”