Monday, April 20, 2009

Easter Camp

A week before camp, I went up to the site with a few others to pray. Among our prayer points was an increase in numbers. So far that week only 55 people signed up, only slightly more than half of what was expected.

The power of answered prayer. around 120 people went for Ecamp. There were not enough bunks for everyone, so a couple of brave souls (myself included) decided to sleep in the gym. The next morning it felt like waking up in a giant refrigerator.

God moved mightily at Ecamp. During the apologetics session there was a guy who kept challenging the speaker with theologically impossible questions. That night God opened the spiritual eyes of this 'doubting Thomas' to see Him for who He really was. The angels in heaven rejoiced and a few of us wept for joy as he declared Jesus his Lord. This, my friends, is why we have Ecamp. Not just to remember His death, but to celebrate the return of prodigal sons and daughters. And it was His Cross that made this possible!

Many people question the relevance of OCF. "Students are better off serving in church", they say, "under the guidance of pastors and paid staff workers". Even churches nowadays have their own international student ministries. The answer lies not in whether OCF is relevant (that's an irrelevant question) but in how it has changed and impacted the lives of so many students who called themselves OCFers. And these students have gone on to become pastors and missionaries to distant lands. Among them are those who got saved in camps like this one, and now go on to preach the joy of salvation to their family members, their friends and to the ends of the earth.

And so, I feel proud to belong to OCF. It is a ministry unlike any other. It's not perfect. Of course there are conflicts. Of course there are politics. But it has accomplished much more for the Greater Good. So here's to 50 years of OCF, and here's to 50 more easter camps to come!