Yesterday was the survival hike at camp. Teams participated in ten mile hike through some amazing Czech wilderness with random challenges throughout. It was a good time to bond with with each other in these smaller groups, but also a challenge for us Americans in the group. Language has proved to be a little more of a barrier at this camp that others, and initiating spiritual conversations this early in the camp was difficult for Czech and American alike. We are praying for softening of hearts as we move into the last three days of the camp. While the hike was not super successful (from our perspective) for sharing about Jesus, discussion groups are another story.
From the first day of camp, discussion groups have homed in on the main thing that we want students to think about – who is Jesus? Carolyn and I are in the same group along with a camp leader, a last minute visitor from California, and two not-yet-believers. In last night’s message, I shared that Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life”. I used an analogy from hiking to explain the passage – fitting for the day of the survival trek. Carolyn shared a story from her life as well. When we broke into discussion groups, the discussion was very open. The believers in our group reinforced the point that Jesus isn’t just a preference, but is the only way to both a satisfying life here as well as eternal life later. Although there were no breakthrough moments, I think the conversation has opened up the opportunity for other talks later.
We are praying that God softens the hearts of all those he has brought to camp to hear the great news of Jesus. Please continue to pray for us that we would clearly communicate truth. Thank you for your prayers for Holden, who is feeling better today.