Transformed generation

Camps are always demanding. Teens amplify the effort you need to put in to make everything run smoothly. As a camp leader my biggest fear was focusing too much on fulfilling every program element of the camp and neglecting the personal needs of the teens, for whom I did this camp, and neglecting needs of the leaders.

We had the camp at the Torchbearers Center at the foot of the Bucegi mountains in the heart of nature. What made this camp unique was the harmony created among participants and leaders. It was unexpected to see almost eighty people from at least 15 different locations to, get along so well, in such a short time.

My desire was to see God working in the lives of teens also through a camp instead of just a Micii Exploratori teens camp as a place where one can experience nature, meet new people, have fun playing games, go on the mountain and sing. I wanted a lasting impression that this is a place where one can experience God.

We started the camp on Sunday afternoon. The days went by quickly - until Wednesday when time seemed to stand still .... It was the day we were going to introduce the teens to the Gospel and pray that their lives would truly be transformed by God

Imagine a small soccer field with several rows of bleachers. Teenagers sitting and listening to the gospel, through a very simple message told by Andrei, one of the leaders. A question asked, "Whose servant are you?". As the question hanged in the air, all the teenagers who wanted to and who felt the need to talk to someone were invited to come down to the soccer field where the leaders were sitting and waiting for them to talk to them and pray for them.

There followed a few seconds of silence where nothing happened. We sat and waited for at least one teenager to make a decision. Those seconds felt like many minutes, and then the silence was broken by the sound of footsteps coming down from the stands and heading our way. Finally, I began to pray that all those present to whom God had spoken would have the courage to come and when I opened my eyes, one of the most beautiful sights unfolded. With each leader sitting on the field, there were two or three teenagers praying, tears in their eyes but joy on their faces.

M's testimony: ''While Cosmin was talking about temptation I felt that he was talking about me, that everything he said was part of my life and somehow he knew all my struggles, I didn't understand what I should do and why I felt like this, the next day I understood from Andrei's study that I was a prisoner and that although I sing and go to church I was not serving God, I realized that I have a battle to fight and God is the solution''

A few weeks after the end of the camp, I found out that a group of girls from different places in Romania, were asking for help from one of the leaders. They had created a WhatsApp group with the aim of studying and deepening more of the Bible!

The 30 minutes spent that day on the soccer field were the highlight of the camp, God showed me that a camp is not only a place where you can have fun but also a place where a generation of people can be transformed.