LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

“We are in a Christian camp”, – we heard these words spoken so many times. It not only reminded children about where they got to, but also gave me strength and faith when I needed itf. Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for the help, safety and keeping us away from any traumas, for the beautiful weather, for the strong team that He gathered, for the children and their open hearts, for all the positive emotions, for children’s repentance and our unusual evening meetings! Thanks to everyone who prayed for us, helped financially or in any other way!
From the very first days, God blessed us with a great team that was striving to unity, to do the best they could, to do everything so that children would trust us, would open their hearts, would make friends with us and would get answers for the questions they had. When we humbled our hearts in prayer and fasting, God took away the walls of misunderstandings between children and us, He melted the ice in those angry and rotten hearts, He convicted hearts. Children learned through games to trust and respect each other, to support and not to mock each other, they learnt to persevere and never give up, to spend quality time and have fun. Through our evening services, Holy Spirit took us a step closer to peace, joy, hope, faithfulness, love, victory, in short – He was taking us a step closer to Himself! It was amazing to see Holy Spirit leading us and to be in this flow. We were always told what to do, whom to pray about specially, which children to give special attention. Children will remember the atmosphere of love that was created here. We shall continue to pray that devil will not destroy what was planted!
There was time when we went to ride on pedal boats on a so-called “marsh”. That was an unusual thing to do but everybody liked it. Swimming between trees, shallow waters, overcoming different obstacles we became a big loving family, because we were doing it together! We played football where each team represented its region. That was the time of adrenaline, fever pitch, penalty kicks, victory for some and defeat for others! And at the end everybody got a prize ( Chelsea jerseys and Leicester shorts) as well lots of emotions and impressions. Every day we had games in the morning and in the evening that took our strength away, but again it left us with a whole load of positive emotions.
At our teams’ time we discussed with kids our highs and lows of the day; why didn’t manage to do something and how we can reach our goals, we talked about things that worried teens, we learned to be friendly to be one team, we prayed together, we listened to each other’s opinions and even asked for forgiveness if we upset somebody during the day.
I should also mention our evening meetings, where we sang, prayed and most importantly – we were getting a step closer to God. These were great evenings which not only lifted up our mood but also touched children’s hearts. I enjoyed seeing kids showing their talents, they didn’t close themselves, they were eager to show what they can. This year called kids to come out and pray a sinner’s prayer twice. Around half of the kids in our camp answered the called to open their hearts for God and let Him change their lives. There were lots of kids in our camp who has never been to church before. And that was the first time for them. And there were also children who heard about God but couldn’t decide to make that first step towards God. One boy come to me and said that he didn’t know how to pray but he felt as if God Himself put the right thoughts and words into his heart. These were 2 amazing evenings when Holy Spirit poured into kids’ hearts, changed them, tears of joy, tears of joy. Those were children’s steps towards God, that was their victory in their lives..
Last minutes of the camp were sad, because we became a big family and it was difficult to say goodbye. I encouraged everybody that the most precious thing that we gave them was the time and those special moments which they will always remember. And I believe wherever they are, whatever they do, no matter what happens in their lives, they will always remember what we taught them, they will remember Who loves them and Who is ready to help them. May the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of the Father and fellowship of Holy Spirit be with all God’s children! Joy and peace to everybody who is reading these words!