“For we have this treasure in jars of clay so that the glory of God may be seen more clearly.”
Before the first day of camp ended, it became painfully obvious that we were not adequately prepared for the task before us. We were faced with about 100 children, the vast majority of whom had never been to camp before.

Many of these children came to us from a homeless shelter. They were used to running wild and unfettered with few rules and little if any discipline. They reacted to the schedule and structure of camp life with defiant rebellion.

Our plans proved inadequate and quickly fell apart. We scrambled to come up with new ideas and stay one step ahead of the children. The Polish team worked valiantly to keep order. However, they quickly found themselves overrun, understaffed and exhausted.

By Tuesday evening, many of the staff were beginning to feel overwhelmed. We began the week praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of the children.

However, by mid-week we were gathering to pray with a fresh fervency bred of desperation. We continually reminded each other that the enemy was not the children and not each other, but the deceiver who was afraid that we might wrestle these young ones from his grasp.

As we prayed, worshipped and struggled on the atmosphere of the camp began to change. The rowdiness and defiance decreased. We gradually won the respect of the children. The children fought less and were a little more cooperative. However, that minor change in behavior did not begin to prepare us for what happened in chapel on Thursday evening.

Throughout the week, the chapel teachings had been building the case for why humanity needs a savior. We used humorous skits and magic tricks to explain sin, redemption, justice and faith. Thursday evening, we began chapel with a brief talk, summing up the teachings of the week and explaining how each of the object lessons went together to demonstrate humanity’s need for God. Henryk then invited any children who wanted to accept Christ to come forward.

Child began to pour toward the front. Soon the stage was full. Perhaps a quarter of the children came forward. There were tears all around. In the back many children laughed and made fun of those accepting Christ but the ones in the front didn’t seem to care. After chapel, the Polish speaking staff prayed with those who accepted Christ and helped them understand what they had done.

One of the children in our camp this week was a teenage girl named Anastasia. She grew up in a traditional Moslem community in Siberia. Her family was forced to flee unrest there and ended up in a Chechen refugee camp for 2 years. Less than one year ago, her family obtained the necessary documentation to start a new life here in Poland. However, without resources, they ended up in the shelter in Bialoleka. Through out the week, Anastasia had many questions about the things being taught in morning and evening chapel. She told her group leader “this religion is SO different from what I grew up with.” Anastasia was deeply touched by the amount of love and joy in Christianity. Thursday evening after chapel, Anastasia accepted Christ as her savior. One of the Irish team members had obtained a Polish Bible which she gave to Anastasia. So, as a result of our camp a young Siberian refugee will take her new faith and a copy of God’s word into her home. God only knows where else she might take it

Our team came away from the camp amazed by the goodness and power of our God. As we talked afterward, one of the Americans shared a verse that God laid on his heart:
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Jeff Newswanger