I just completed my very first English camp here in the Czech Republic!! My husband Daniel has done many over the years but this was my very first one. We are exhausted and weary but know that we are tired because we have given ourselves fully to loving those who participated in this camp with us and have spiritually fought a battle beyond our comprehension. My mind and body ache from exhaustion but my heart burns with the hope of people placing their faith in Christ for the very first time. This year the evening sessions were focusing on the "Story of God" and sharing a summary of several different stories from the Bible that show the redemptive character of God and His love relationship with man through out the Bible. We had a few students at this camp that had never heard anything about God so everything they were hearing was all new to them and their enthusiasm and joy was contagious!! It is so outside of the cultural box here to believe that God is actually real, that for them to consider that God is real and that He personally and deeply loves them is a Huge step!
Camp was a crazy experience because there was definitely a lot of intense spiritual opposition to the Gospel but God is the pursuer of hearts and He is faithful to never allow His purposes to be thwarted. His Word truly is living and active and it calls our hearts to respond. The truth is something that cannot be ignored or pushed off to the side to be dealt with another day - it demands a response. The students at our camp were truly faced with the reality of who Jesus is... not just in theory, but who is He to them personally. Several chose to not believe and to walk away but a few students just could not walk away. They were captivated by this truth that would not let go. They still have many questions and are trying to process all that they heard, but a new joy and hope has been born in their hearts and they now have a new community of friends that desire to see them believe. Please pray with us that the truth would not return void and that the seeds that have been placed in their hearts would be given time to mature and grow.
Please pray for us as we begin our second camp. May our hearts fully invest once more and may we give ourselves fully to the cause of Christ! May God's spirit and love be alive in us as we interact with students and leaders and may we have bold faith in the midst of the intense opposition to His truth.
