End of July has opened another door in our ministries. And I think it is not a coincidence that there was a long time partnering church who mobilized us. This is our experience for many years now. It is through these kinds of partnerships over the years that our ministries in Romania have started and grown to what we do today. The impulse received and on the field example has moved us to new “territories” in our mission to mobilize the local church to win the next generation for Christ.
The English Bible Club held in our church was a great success and a represented another milestone for our ministry. Our partnership with Redlands Trinity Evangelical Free Church, CA, proved once more to be not only successful but also a learning and motivational experience for our team.
For a bit over 90 children (we planned to have maximum 80, but I think “light was attracting them”) the entire week looked like a day camp, like a VBS program… but longer… like 8 hours a day. Yes, true… very exhausting. Next time we’ll be smarter, we’ve learned the lessons. This “formula” – of a day camp – made it possible for children who could not afford a regular camp, especially in times like these when the economy is bad.
Americans were and still are a draw, so we had a good amount of non-Christian kids attending. Also, having a smaller number of children and more time together (not like during our VBS) the teaching time was more efficient and more creative. In fact one of the non-Christian parents told me bluntly: “Rei, this event is much better than the VBS you had in July. My son was there too, but he was coming home tired and agitated. Here, he comes home happy and he is able to tell me the story of the whole day giving me details. And that is surprising for my son. He never does that. Keep on doing this, I am an educator and I know what I am saying.”
So, because “it’s the light that’s attracting them”, God’s willing, we want to keep on attracting them in the future with these summer clubs.
We believe “it’s the light that attracts them”. We believe we are just the ones who are holding the lantern. And we are able to hold it because of your help. Thank you!
We invite you to read more in Trinity newsletter. You can see their point of view and personal testimonies. Special thanks to Bruce Herwig for documenting our event and making it public on the blog. You can visit it here, finding more pictures, videos and interviews from the camp.
