Saturday, June 25, 2011

Fighting Faith: Orphan Camp 2


In comparison, camp 1 was cake.  Vovkovinci amped up Kivorog in harder living conditions, kids, situations, and spiritual battles.  But, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more!  Reflecting on what did and did not happen, I’m in awe of the ways God saw us through every moment.
          I entered Camp 2 with a load of concerns: working with a new team, eating worse food, only getting to shower once the whole week, the swelling in my finger, connecting with a new group of kids, sharing the gospel boldly… so the first night I dumped my load on God and waited for what He would do with it. 
          Since our team consisted of 17 Americans and 9 Ukrainians, and there were only 75 kids, Jenya (director of HFO) suggested we each pick a child or two and pray for them specifically.  Last camp I spent most of my time with the kids I easily befriended, and so this camp I was convicted and challenged to love the unlovely.  This time I had 10-13 year olds in my Bible study group, one of them being Yulya.  
She’s 12, came to the orphanage as an infant, has no memory of her parents, hates math, loves music, and has some kind of mental disorder.  I’m pretty sure she has been sexually abused.  On the second day, I walked by her sitting near the main entrance.  I said “good morning” and smiled, but she glared at me and didn’t respond.  I was pretty discouraged.  About an hour later, I saw her still sitting, but I didn’t want to be rejected again so I walked by without even looking at her.  As soon as I passed by her, she said hello!  I stopped talked with her for a few moments, crazy excited she wanted to talk.  So I chose her to focus on.  

          Sasha, a 13 year old boy in my group, gravitated to me instantly for whatever reason, so I decided to focus on him too.  I couldn’t wait to talk to these kids about Jesus!  Something I failed at in the first camp.  When I talked to each one of them for the first time, I botched epically.  I had no idea what questions to ask or what to say, even my translator asked me if I had ever shared the gospel before.  I was that bad.  Neither Yulya or Sasha opened up to me at all.  Yulya told me she didn’t believe God could be her best friend, and Sasha answered all the questions “right,” but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it.  He told me he never smoked or stole, but I often smelt smoke on him and once caught him stealing.  My failure in talking with these kids so discouraged me; I felt like God abandoned me. 
          The spiritual darkness at this camp oppressed all of us.  We felt resistance in everything we did and said; there were so many distractions getting in the way during each of our events.  I started thinking the situation was hopeless.  There was no way I could reach these kids, no way I could really cultivate a love for them, no way our team could have a lasting impact after one week of camp.  Then I was inspired by Damaris and the times she meets with God and refuses to leave until her heart’s changed.  So I decided to stay awake until God dealt with me.  Sometimes you need to tell the gospel to yourself again before you can tell it to others.  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God!” –John 6:68-69.  “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” –John 16:22.  “But God showed His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8.  I passed out around 3am and had to wake up at 6am.  The whole day though, I felt God’s grace in such a tangible way.  I wasn’t nearly as tired as I should’ve been, I gave my testimony during the evening program and knew God was speaking not me, and later that night, Jenya told me Yulia gave her heart to Jesus!  Wow, look what happens when I stop moving in my own strength and let God move in His!  Truly amazing.
          The next day, we went down to the lake and baptized Yaroslav.  Yaroslav was an orphan who came to know Christ after one of HFO’s camps!  He’s now a part of Jenya’s team.  What an encouragement to serve with someone with that story.  We all wore white and celebrated Yaroslav’s new life and resurrection in Christ with prayer, praise, and communion.  A precious time.
          Sasha didn’t accept Jesus during camp, but please pray God will show him how much he needs a savior, and that he will come to know Jesus personally and passionately!
          Please also pray for Yulia, that she would draw close to God and know Him as her best friend, that she would be kept safe, and set free from the pain of her past.
          These boys are Christians and in the oldest group- Nazaar, Yanik, Pasha, and Yura.  Please pray they will band together, study the Word, and bring Isaiah 61 into action!
          Most prominent thing I learned in this camp?  “Knock, and it will be given to you.”  In the past, when a situation became difficult, I gave up and assumed God just wasn’t going to answer my prayer.  But we are called to take up the shield of faith and fight!  Like any relationship, I need to pursue God even when it’s hard and He doesn’t seem near.
          Thank you for your faithful prayers!  God answers!

4 comments:

  1. Amazing , God is good! I Just want to hug you and all the kids you are talking about. I will for sure pray for them and knock on God's door!

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  2. mmmm convicting. how awesome. hold fast the confession of your hope without waivering, for He who promised is faithful! <3

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  3. Wow Abigail, what an amazing story! I'm praying that you will be refreshed in your few "free" days in Kiev! and am hoping to catch you on skype one of these nights. LOVE you!

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  4. God is so amazing! <3 Wow. Just wow! I'll be praying for you!

    ~No One In Particular

    (middleschoolhighschoolandbeyond.blogspot.com)

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