On July 28, there was a camp in Poliana village, Zakarpattia region. It was organized and conducted by the Education Department of the International Public Organization “Hope to People” and the Second Presbyterian Church of Memphis, with the participation of the First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown. There were children from Mizoch, Klevan, Verba, Tuchin orphanages, as well as children from large families and foster families of the Rivne region.

Most of the children have been in the Carpathian Mountains for the first time. At the core of the program of the Christian camp “Compromise. Net” rests the desire to teach teenagers to look at the world by the eyes of the Living God and create their plans in accordance with the God’s will. Having this in mind, the Joseph’s story is a perfect example for the teenagers willing to follow Christ.

Life in the camp was a blessing from God. Every day began with the prayer and reading the Word of God. Then, we’ve had the morning exercises. At ten o’clock in the morning, we were gathering to worship and glorify our Lord. We shared the gospel through songs, prayers, and testimonies, and how the Lord found us in this sinful world. Also we had Bible lessons, where leaders were discussing the life of Joseph with teenagers. We also had an interesting leisure activities of craftworks. We thank all our friends for the prayers that we felt every day.

That’s what the teenagers wrote in their questionnaires at the end of the camp:

“I liked the Bible lessons, swimming pools and thermal springs. God spoke to me through the preaching, and He wants me to open my heart and entrust it to Him. We’ve talked about the life of Joseph, the way he loved God during all his life time. We prayed a lot in the camp, so I realized that God is alive.”

Ivanka Sh.

“I enjoyed the trips and excursions to the castle. I’ve seen there beautiful statues, paintings and souvenirs, pools with different water. I had a great time at the camp. Through the preaching, God told me that we are sinful and only Jesus Christ is sinless. And also, we need to invite the Lord Jesus into our heart as soon as possible. And, likewise, we were told that God cannot accept us with a sinful heart, but only with a pure heart.
Through the Bible lessons, God told me that we are special. I realized that we are all sinful. I remembered the picture with the gap between a person on one side and God on the other side. This gap is a sin.”

Elizaveta U.,

“In this camp I liked to glorify God in songs and poems, travel to different places, do crafts and listen to Yura’s sermon. I opened my heart to God, I say less bad words now and don’t feel offended by other people. I met new friends and teachers… This camp helped me to be more self-confident. At first I did not understand why I needed all this, but on the third day I realized that these things about God are really very important to know. I began to pray, read the Bible, and understand that God and Christ are worthy of the great glory. On the last day I repented and felt such a relief in my soul. I realized that I started a new life. It’s just … a very good feeling. And now I want to be with God until the end of my days.
And the food was also very tasty. I thank the translator, the driver and the teachers for listening to my endless talk. I also thank you for the good music. Thank you very much for this beautiful camp!”

Victoria Yu.

Please pray for people who donated their finances and time in order to share the gospel with the children.
Pray also for children who have repented, that they were accepted in their families, and that they would meet people who could be their spiritual guides.
Pray for Christian camps in winter and summer 2018, for orphans and children who live in poverty.
Also, please pray for the rest of the team and further ministry to the children who have not yet met with the living God.

Valentina Bondarchuk