Pinnacle girls learn of life, lostness in Mozambique

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Primitive road signs direct the campers to different “cities” in the woods of Pinnacle. JOE WESTBURY/Index Primitive road signs direct the campers to different “cities” in the woods of Pinnacle. JOE WESTBURY/Index[/caption]

CLAYTON — On a hot July afternoon, Riley Coulter of Dahlonega drew water from a north Georgia lake and placed it in a plastic container to learn how her counterparts in Mozambique secured the day’s drinking water.

Ella Ulrich of Rutledge and other girls used straw brooms to sweep the dust out of a hut, which recreated a daily chore endured by her peers in the coastal South African nation.

And Emily Sims of Dalton learned how to twist a colorful cloth around her body and gently place a teddy bear, simulating an infant, into a comfortable nook and walking around as she performed household chores.

Each week this summer young girls and teens from across Georgia explored such everyday experiences that many said led them not to take for granted their comfortable lifestyle. And several joked that enjoying air conditioning was the first luxury to cherish.

The experience of living in Mozambique and learning about its culture and hardships – if actually only a make-believe village tucked into the woods of Camp Pinnacle – gave the girls a close-up encounter many say they will never forget.

Praying for the unchurched in the faraway nation, where fellow Georgia Baptists Chris and Katie Nalls have been serving for nine years, was at the top of the week’s culture camp activities.

Each day after breakfast the campers Skyped the couple and asked questions in real time across six time zones. The interaction added a flesh-and-blood dimension to the weeks and removed it from an impersonal study.

Chris, who grew up in First Baptist Church of Tifton, and Katie, from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton, first met as International Mission Board journeymen in the nation. They eventually married and returned to the field and now have three children – Abigail, Emma Claire, and Daniel.

Camp counselor Melissa Ringwalt of Rowland Springs Baptist Church in Cartersville teaches the girls about life in Mozambique and how Southern Baptist missionaries are reaching the population with the Good News about Jesus Christ. Culture Camp, a session where the girls learn about international missions through interactive experiences, is a long-standing highlight of the week. Nearly 900 campers, a 9% increase from 2014, participated this year. JOE WESTBURY/Index Camp counselor Melissa Ringwalt of Rowland Springs Baptist Church in Cartersville teaches the girls about life in Mozambique and how Southern Baptist missionaries are reaching the population with the Good News about Jesus Christ. Culture Camp, a session where the girls learn about international missions through interactive experiences, is a long-standing highlight of the week. Nearly 900 campers, a 9% increase from 2014, participated this year. JOE WESTBURY/Index

The couple looked forward to the daily video call and expressed thanks for being included in the summer programming. By the end of the summer the girls had given nearly $4,000 to be used by the Nalls among the Nyungwe people of Tete.

“We know that God can use a weeklong focus on our nation in the lives of some of these girls that will have an eternal impact – not only in their lives, but in the lives of other people in Mozambique,” Katie said in an email interview.

“Some of them may continue to pray for the Nyungwe people with whom we work in Tete. God may call some of them to come and work here in the future. Hopefully, they will all understand God’s calling for believers to go and make disciples at home and abroad.”

The Georgians, who served as guest missionaries at the camp in 2012, added that they have high expectations for the girls praying for them, not just this summer but throughout the coming year.

“We know that God can use a weeklong focus on our nation in the lives of some of these girls that will have an eternal impact."

Katie Nalls, missionary to Mozambique

“We expect God to be faithful to His Word. We believe that He is the One who has the power to transform hearts and lives here in Mozambique. We know that we are incapable to doing anything without the power of the Holy Spirit working in us so we pray and ask God to fill us and other believers here.

“We believe that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to anyone who believes, so we pray knowing that the Gospel will change hearts. We are thankful for the hundreds of girls who prayed not only for us, but for the hearts of Mozambican people to be changed. We know God will be faithful and work through their prayers.”

Camp Pinnacle, missions, Mozambique, RAs