All Things Work Together for Good: FaithCamp East 2021
Back in March we weren’t sure if we could have FaithCamp East this year. We didn’t have a venue, and we didn’t have any speakers.
Pastor Baute, previously the pastor of the Hayden Lake SDA Church in Idaho (where we have FaithCamp West), had invited us to have FaithCamp East at his church in North Carolina. His church was small, however, and had a limited supply of water; unfortunately it wasn’t going to work. Still, Pastor Baute did not give up on having FaithCamp in his area.
Pastor Baute was at a meeting and heard the leadership of Fletcher Academy, a nearby SDA boarding academy, mention that they were interested in having a camp meeting on their campus. He told them about Jesus for Asia and FaithCamp and by the grace of God, they liked the idea.
Faithcamp was on! We began preparations, and although we faced numerous trials, God blessed abundantly through the team of people in North Carolina who helped us advertise, organize, and decorate. We were blown away by their willingness to go above and beyond for a group of people they had only just met. It just goes to show how God provides when you are following His leading.
Then we had to find the speakers. Because of travel restrictions, we couldn’t get anyone from Cambodia or India, but what about Indonesia? The Tengkano family are missionaries in Indonesia, and they also happen to be Indonesian, so even though foreigners aren’t allowed into the country right now, they could leave and return safely.
God also opened doors for other speakers to join us, including Kasey Norton and her daughter Hannah who are missionaries in Thailand. We know they missed the rest of their family, but we are grateful Kasey was able to come and share her testimony! Please keep them in your prayers as they travel back to Thailand on Sunday.
Trying something new!
This year we added a few new features to FaithCamp to give attendees a greater understanding of faith and the spread of the Gospel. These were some of the attendees' favorite parts of FaithCamp this year. If you’re coming to FaithCamp West, you’ll get to experience some of these for yourself:
Expanded missionary video calls. Last year, because of COVID, we called some of our missionaries in the field each evening to find out what’s going on in their lives and how God is leading them. This year we added time during the morning meetings to speak with missionaries in the Philippines, India, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Mission Nuggets. These short videos and activities help to illustrate the current situation in the mission field and the needs that still remain.
Faith Club. What really is faith? And how do we grow our faith to work more effectively for Christ? For the past year, we at the JFA office have been reading books on faith and studying the answers to these questions. The lessons God has taught us during this time have been life changing, and we took time during FaithCamp to share just a few of those lessons to inspire those attending to grow their faith as well.
Testimony from a first-time FaithCamp attendee:
God called Kasey Norton and her family to Thailand after Jon and Natalie Wood came to their church in 2018, but she had never been to FaithCamp before. Here is what she shared about her first FaithCamp experience:
“If ever you doubt if you’re supposed to have these FaithCamps, DON’T! That was the most purposefully, genuinely spiritual environment I have ever been in...And our friends left on Sabbath to attend a baptism two hours away and planned to go home. Their teenage kids, however, begged them to make the drive back. They go all over the place to camp meetings and they said this was their favorite ever. The Holy Spirit was so obviously present! I know not as many attended as you hoped but God moved and is doing things as you guys keep obediently moving forward!”
Before FaithCamp East ended, Pastor Baute and Phil Wilhelm, principal of Fletcher Academy, invited us to come back next year. The tentative dates are June 22-26. We will keep you updated as more details come together.
We want to invite you to pray with us over the next year for revival and a greater heart for missions. Billions of people around the world still have no idea who Jesus is and that He wants them to dwell with Him for eternity. Please pray that we may all do our part in spreading the Gospel so they can go home.