Between August 31st and September 3rd, the Toronto mission held a camping trip for young people with various activities. The camp, which at first had the purpose of being a leisure activity for the youth, ended up becoming a seed that was planted for future Acamps.
The event took place at the Glen Rouge campground in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough and was attended by 10 people. The planning of the event was not easy. Every day a new difficulty arose: some people could not contribute; promised transportation could not be provided and so forth. In spite of all this, with every challenge that came up, we saw how earnestly God wanted the event to be accomplished and knowing this, we continued forward with determined faith (or determination and faith). When we arrived at the campsite, we clearly saw the joy of the young people and the power of God that manifested itself through the simplest things. With each activity, sharing and in each moment of worship, we all felt the strong presence of God. The most intense activity that spoke strongly to the heart of every young person occurred when the missionaries gave their testimonies. It was a moment of intense grace when we prayed for each young person.
Sixteen-year-old Marina Desa, who was at the 4-day camp, described her time there:
“Camping with Shalom was an experience I will never forget and will be able to take with me as I progress through life. The testimonies of the missionaries gave me a sense of how important it is to have God in my life and to follow the right path in my journey as a young adult; that no matter what difficulties I may go through, God is there, waiting for me to return. The Shalom Community allows me to have God in my life without fear or judgment, always guiding me along the right path.”
We can already see the fruits of this simple event, where God was ever-present and continues to manifest a great desire in the hearts of young people to be with Christ.
Ellen Bia