From July 6 to 12, a Christian day camp was held in the village of Lyubarki, Kyiv region, on the territory of a local church, a sister church of our Kyiv Bible Missionary Church Light of the Gospel.
The name of the camp was “Kingdom of a Pure Heart.” And during the week, the camp participants, and we had about 100 of them during the entire camp, together with the team, reflected on how we can obtain a pure heart.
This year, there were many obstacles to holding the camp. We had a very small team, only six people, of whom only four could teach Bible lessons. We also had a shortage of funds. Just before the camp began, there was a massive shelling of the area in Kyiv where we all live. Windows and doors were damaged in many apartments. But the Lord gave us confidence that we still should hold this camp.
Many fathers of the children who were in the camp are serving in the military; some had already lost their parents; there were many displaced persons, and this week in the camp was necessary for them to forget about their worries at least for some time. To do that, we could sing together, play, laugh, and hear about the One who has a loving heart.
The team was pretty busy and overloaded with Bible lessons, conversations with children, sports games, crafts, various events and activities, worship, taking photos and organizing transportation, buying food and necessary materials – and all this was taken care of by six people! It was difficult, but the oldest teenagers in the camp helped us a lot. People from the church personally donated money, and we, although barely, had enough for everything. The Lord protected us in the camp and our relatives at home, although our area was shelled repeatedly that week.
I want to share one story. One mother brought two daughters, ages 6 and 9, to our camp from a neighboring village. It was their first time at a Christian camp, and they really liked it. We sang a song with the chorus: “Just believe… the sea will part, and your feet will walk on the water.” The girls’ mother said that, in the evening before bed, they started asking her what the song was about. She didn’t know, so she had to turn to GPT Chat; it explained that it was the story of Moses. They all read it together. Then the children asked their mother many more questions, which prompted her to look for answers in the Children’s Bible.
After such testimonies, you understand that our efforts are not in vain, although this camp was one of the most difficult of all time. But the Lord carried us through and was glorified through us, the weak, because we trusted Him.
Ira Solyanyk
