One of our counselors sent out the following message to our camp leaders’ group just a few hours after we’d all arrived home yesterday. He wrote:
When I sat down just now to write for myself some of the amazing and meaningful things that happened during camp, more and more and more wonderful things came to mind. God did so many remarkable things in such a short time! The scripture that best describes what happened this week is John 21:25.
“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
The messages brought by our wonderful speaker Michael were relevant and thought-provoking and impactful for our kids, but probably none of us expected that over half of the campers and some of the counselors would raise their hands to give or recommit their lives to Yeshua after the powerful message in club time of the final evening. The next morning when asked to stand and declare that “I have begun my life anew in Yeshua” most of those same kids stood up and declared this one by one. It was clear throughout the camp even from what we could see with our eyes and hear with our ears that kids were engaging with the word of God and that they were being lifted up, encouraged, strengthened, convicted of sin, renewed, and transformed. How much more was going on within them that we could not perceive! We are so grateful for God’s faithfulness.
Of course the uplifting camp environment and home are worlds apart. The delicate new growth is fragile when being bombarded by the world all around, by peers, by the media, and by dysfunctional families and challenging circumstances. Please join us in praying for all those that committed and recommitted their lives to the Lord that they will be able to stand steadfast in the face of so many pressures. Please pray for those who did not stand up for whatever reason. And please pray as well for the kids that were unable to participate in camp due to being in quarantine.
Please pray with us specifically for D.F. who is still fearful, full of doubts, and from his own admission, somewhat suicidal. He’s due to be starting the army in four months and does not want to go. Pray for L. who just recently began experiencing seizures, and who had one at camp. Pray also for B., T., S., and several others that we are particularly burdened for at this time.
Pray for refreshing and strength for our wonderful team, and most especially for Anna P. and Oxana who labored hard to bring this camp to life, and who managed and oversaw every moment so splendidly.
Thank you for standing with us!
Many blessings,
Marianna Gol