Radical Life
Camp #2 September 12-17, 2006
Photo Album of
camp
In mid September,
we hosted a second evangelistic camp, this time for college age young people.
We had about 20 staff and 30 participants attending. A band came from Keith
Hazell’s church in Canada helping to create very contemporary atmosphere that
the youth really enjoyed. Once again we had an intercession team that prayed
6-8 hours a day. They prayed insistently for God’s presence, power and glory to
be manifest in our midst. This camp was very different from the previous camp;
more difficult spiritually initially, but in the end more spectacular.
Throughout the day,
we planned various challenges and activities. For two hours each day, the
participants read a challenging devotion and then talked about their responses
together in small groups. Ways of thinking and believing were reformed on the
anvils of these lively and thought provoking discussions. During the games, the
air was filled with sounds of laughter, squeals, cheering, and shouts of people
having fun. The young people seemed to really enjoy themselves and new
friendships were forged from those who had previously been strangers.
Each evening, we
had meetings starting with something just for fun! We had a daily room cleaning
competition and the boys outdid everyone with their creativity and ability to
have spotless rooms! Imagine that! We also had several guys entertain us all
with their break dancing maneuvers! Another group of guys were into body
building. Imagine our shocked hysterical laughing when during one skit, they
stripped down to their shorts and started posing and showing off their ripping
muscles! Now that was funny!
These times were
followed by worship, a message and then prayer ministry. The first evenings
during the worship, it looked as if there was a major separation between “us”
and “them”. Our staff were enjoying the worship and the participants were
seated and seemingly just coldly watching. But something was happening under
the surface…something that no eye could see….at least not yet.
During these same
evenings, however, clusters of young people WERE responding to the clear gospel
messages and getting saved. Each evening, more souls were added to the family of
God. During the prayer time, people were getting healed and strongly touched by
God.
The intercession
team really leaned into God during these days, praying for heaven to come to
earth and for God to come and make a name for Himself. During those hours of
prayer, the prayer team had some unusual experiences with God. During one
meeting, a glimmering pillar of swirling gold dust appeared in the air in the
middle of our circle of prayer. On another occasion we smelled the fragrance of
the presence of God. Again the smell was in the middle of our prayer circle.
If we turned away, the smell diminished. But turning towards each other, in our
midst for 20 minutes or so was the strong smell of roses. This was wonderful,
but even this wasn’t enough for us. We wanted a breakthrough for the
participants too. We kept praying!
Then came the
fourth evening of the camp. The meeting itself seemed much the same. A mostly
“segregated” worship time, more saved, more healed. But then right at the end
of the prayer ministry time…then when we were thinking it was over… something
powerful and wonderful happened. God breathed into the room and something
stirred in the Spirit. People that had been sitting watching the meeting end
began to come to their feet. And at the same time the quiet background music
began to grow and suddenly we were swept away together in a wave of God’s
presence. The natural and supernatural response was joyful praise! Singing,
dancing, praising and leaping and celebrating life in God. It was a very
spiritually intense experience.
I remember sensing
the presence of God so intensely that I looked up and over people’s heads,
expecting to see something with my natural eyes… I don’t know what… a flame of
fire, an angel or something. Things continued to build in intensity in the
Spirit. We danced and enjoyed God for a full hour and a half; fully aware that
God was in our midst.
Afterwards, as we
began to share with one another about what had happened, several people related
seeing a cloud like a thick fog in the room. We began to realize that the cloud
of God’s glory had manifested in the room with us. In fact, David a member of
the Canadian group had recorded several video clips during this joyous
explosion. And amazingly his camera captured the cloud on film! The video
clips show a fog that increases in density until you can’t see from one side of
the room to the other.
Check out the
video clips for yourself at
http://www.newsfromsuz.com/2006_camp_2.htm
One new believer
had been on his face as one of our staff prayed for him during the ministry
time. When he opened his eyes after prayer, he saw only fog. He jumped up and
ran to the bathroom to wash out his eyes, thinking something was wrong with
them. When he saw the film clip capturing the cloud, he said “That is what I
saw when I opened my eyes!” It was an amazing and glorious time. Really
amazing!
On a personal note,
I had broken my wrist two days prior…playing ping pong! What a dangerous
sport! I know! I know! ;-) During this amazing visitation of God’s glory,
my wrist was healed!
Of course the next
evening meeting was at another level entirely. The air was charged with
excitement about what God was doing in our midst.
Life After Camp
When we went home,
the God of glory went with us. Amazing things continued to happened.
Bianca,
saved and powerfully touched by God at camp, went home
and did what she had seen us do. Finding her cousin sick and scheduled to have
an operation on her appendix, she laid her hands on her and prayed. Her cousin
was healed and the operation cancelled. She prayed for her grandma who suffered
severe headaches... no more headaches. She prayed for her aunt who hadn't been
able to cry in years. Tears ran down her aunt's face as Bianca prayed for her.
Our young people went out together to one of the city
squares, brand new baby Christians together with older ones in the Lord. Our
newly saved break dancers had called their other break dancer friends to come
too. So there in the city square, they turned on music and began to break
dance. About a hundred and fifty curious onlookers gathered around. And we
recognized instantly a new form of street evangelism and outreach was born! Now
we are seeking permits for that type of meeting. Next time we will preach and
pray for the sick and expect new converts to be added to God’s kingdom.
Young people that
were saved at camp are bringing their friends to church. Much like the
narrative about Andrew after he found Jesus: “The first thing Andrew did was to
find his brother Simon and tell him ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And he brought
him to Jesus.” John 1:41-42 Our new believers are bringing their friends to
Jesus and we fully expect them to be saved too. Who knows what we are reaping
now…another Peter, a Paul, a Stephen, a Samuel, a Barnabas, a John G. Lake, a
Rheinhard Bonnke, a Benny Hinn.
Please pray with us
for God to make a name for Himself in Cluj as we continue to enjoy these days of
glory.
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