Camp today was bitter-sweet, full of fun, and goodbyes.  We played the kids’ favorite games, had time to hang out, and signed the kids’ t-shirts and bibles. After camp we had the opportunity to have dinner with the translators on the Danube River, right in front of the Palace.  After dinner, our team and some of the translators took a trip up to the Citadella; it provided a beautiful view of all the places we had visited over the past two weeks.

Today was a microcosm of the best aspects of camp.  Despite our lack of sleep, we had so much fun playing the kids’ favorite games in the morning icebreaker and in the classes.  Not only did we have so much fun with the kids, but we had very fruitful conversations as well.  Six people came to know Christ today! But I also had the blessing of participating in one of those conversations.  The past three days, several people on our team have had the opportunity of talking to a girl at camp. She has been going through some hard times and didn’t know how to deal with them. But surprisingly, she went from having major doubts about God on Wednesday, to trusting in Him on Friday! Today after lunch Christina and I decided to follow up with her to see where she was at with God.  When we asked what was preventing her from accepting Christ, she said nothing! Christina and I prayed with her and I could tell by the look on her face that she was feeling a joy she had never felt before. Tears were streaming down her face as she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior! By the look on her face, it was evident that she experienced the joy of the Gospel.

Over the past two weeks, God has been teaching me a lot about sharing the gospel and prayer.  For the most part, all of my peers and I have relatively similar stories. Being a part of 90 stories, all of them different from mine, was eye opening.  This trip has shown me that everyone’s walk with Christ is different, but despite the differences, Jesus’ love, grace, and mercy are enough for everyone. Secondly, the power of prayer was so evident on this trip.  When our team met one night and talked about it, we all were amazed at the number and magnitude of the prayers God answered.  Julia pointed out that on this trip our prayers were more in line with God’s will and therefore God would be more ready to answer prayers. This has really convicted me to have a more intentional prayer life at home, especially during my family’s move to Texas.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”