The Youth Evangelical Camp took place July 10-15 in the village of Zalesie. What does the name of the camp mean?

Working in the camp we tried to tell the Good News about Christ to those people who don’t know Him yet, that we are lost without the Lord, without Him we walk in wrong ways; spiritually we are dead and blind. And when we recognize our sinfulness and spiritual blindness, we can find God’s grace as revealed in Jesus Christ. That grace restores our spiritual sight and makes us holy in Him.

There were 41 people in the camp, 15 who had not yet entered into a covenant with God; there were also children whose parents are believers.

Not all the children came to the daily morning exercise. But those who did, participated 100%. There were many camp games. All the children who wanted to play, were divided into several teams that competed with each other. The young people spent their free time in a variety of ways: some read, some skied on the tarp, some talked with new friends.

We did everything we could to help people know each other better. We made friends with those young people who are not yet in covenant with the Lord. The main and most important part of the camp, the purpose for which we had planned it, was for the preaching of the Gospel. Therefore, we had morning meetings and discussion groups to discuss the theme of the sermon, we had in-depth conversations around the fire.

The first three days featured preaching about God as the Creator who created man in His image and likeness and placed him in the Garden of Eden, then came the Fall, the first murder, and the flood. The main emphasis was made on the sinful heart of a man, who is born into the world already sinful. All the preachers and the team tried to explain to the camp participants the truth about the sinfulness of the human heart and the fact that a gap between God and man appeared because of the fall.

On the fourth day, the solution to the problem was revealed – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He, being God, knowing our problem, which we could never solve ourselves, came to our world through the Virgin, lived a righteous life, He gave His life and died on the cross but rose again.

When we believe that Jesus is the only One Who can solve our problem, we need to acknowledge our sinfulness, repent, and ask the Father to forgive us through Jesus Christ. There was a call for repentance. On the fifth day we listened to a sermon about the prodigal son, about the loving father and about the elder brother. Each of us examined our hearts. Who am I – a prodigal son or his elder brother? Have we reconciled with a loving Father or do we remain prodigal sons and daughters, yet maybe we are like the older brother? How should we live and behave after learning these truths?

To our great regret, no one in the camp decided publicly to testify about his repentance. Some young people said that this was the first time they had heard the Gospel. Some admitted their sinfulness and wanted to be reconciled with God, but they are afraid of their parents, they are afraid of what people will say. Some of these young people, however, began to talk with God in prayer, sometimes even with tears.

Irina Polonska

Here are some testimonies about the camp:

Nadezhda, 17 years old:

“In this camp I liked everything: contests, atmosphere, people. Have I reconciled with God? I see God every day, He does not leave me, but I do not understand yet what this process of repentance is.”

Christina, 14 years old:

“It was my first time in such a camp. It was very fun, interesting, and I met a lot of good and sincere people. In the camp I liked the funny contests and useful sermons. With the help of sermons, I thought about my sins and will try to follow God”.

Olga, 26 years old:

“The best impressions from the camp were a friendly atmosphere, a cheerful and joyful mood, close relationships with the Lord. These are what attracts most of the people. The camp program included both a spiritual and an entertaining part. Key points: preaching of the Gospel, discussion of important issues in groups, and personal counseling. In general, the camp made a very positive impression, the participants found the answers to important life issues and they asked new questions. We rejoice that there are people who opened their hearts to the Lord. We are very thankful to the Lord for the pleasant and joyful time we had in the camp. Please pray that the Word which was planted by Him will give harvest at the appointed time.”