August 10th, 2010 by Zac

I wanted to share a few stories about how God works through English camps in Slovakia this summer.

In case you didn’t remember, we had 8 camps with 9 participating Slovak local churches and 6 American local church teams. The last camp is finished and now the stories are streaming back.

“I came to camp to find God – and I found Him” one teenage boy said. A rough life with an abusive parent had made his heart soft even before camp started,  to the idea that there must be something better out there. We always pray that God will prepare the students who come to camp. This is one classic example that unveils our passionate God, who works quietly behind the curtain of individual lives to make his love known. We praise you God, for being infinitely more at work than we imagine!

“I only go to church with my grandmother during the holidays, and I don’t really believe in God”, one camper commented. But after the influence of a christian schoolmate (who, by the way, had met Christ previously at a KECY camp), an intense week hearing truth and being with other God followers, gave his life over to God´s control. Thank you God for your perfect power to convince.

Classic quote – At the beginning of camp – “I don’t like that kind of music” At the end of camp – “Could you please give me the names of those bands and camps songs?” You are a God that changes our mind!

Rado was a typical students these days…. black clothes, long hair, earphones, “leave me alone” type … who met Christ at camp.  “He cried at least 5 times on the last day as we all said our goodbyes” someone said. Thank you God for breaking our hearts.

One student said, “I already decided against following God last year” (because of his refusal to enter catholic confirmation classes – we found out later) . But because of the persistence of a loving camp leader, he decided to give his life to Christ. He is already a part of a small group of believers who meet in his local village.  We worship you God, because you give us second chances.

These stories can be repeated over and over with slightly different details across Slovakia and Central Europe. God has changed lives this summer – it’s easy to hear.

And for those of you who pray and support the work of Kompas Training Center, I hope you sense and hear the impact of your sacrifice in the words of the above comments.