To try and describe with words what God did with us over this weekend, feels like such a limitation. I’m lost for words and I’m totally in awe of God. Blown away by God’s awesome intervention in our lives. I’ll sum it up in like this, we went to Dawn View Christian Camp with broken hearts and broken lives and God by His mercy and Love fixed us up and made us whole.
Too precious and sacred was our encounter with God. People could only say: “Thank you God”. Other than a little fender bender accident as we started our journey to the camp, it was a perfect weekend, from start to finish. The bus couldn’t make it up the hill as we arrived at our destination because of water on the dirt roads. So we had to walk for the last kilometre. This added to the vibe and immediately guys and gals started connecting and forming new friendships.
Friday night was an evening we’ll never forget. We settled into our dorms and went straight away to the dining hall to have a great meal together. I was profoundly impacted by the obvious connectedness and unity on the camp. Cliques were broken and friendships were been formed across the barriers of race, gender and age. The worship team deeply ministered to my soul that evening and it was like a new authority and confidence had come on Nathi, Josh and the others. We were experiencing new levels of intimacy with our God. Frank Sturgess shared God’s word and stepped out in the prophetic, calling the group to more of God and to take more of our inheritance. It was clear from all the words shared, from Frank and the leaders that God was moving us on from Egypt (land of bondage) to the Promised land (Rest, spaciousness and freedom). Ministry lasted for hours and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully. Wow, if that was the start what was going to happen as the weekend built up. Jolls, jokes and laughs around the bonfire with hot chocolate being smashed till all hours of the night. Lights out was at 12pm but some only got to sleep at 2:30am.
Saturday was in a league of its own. No one really fully knew the extent of how God was setting us up for huge encounters with Himself. Derek and Linda Watson drove up to spend the day with us. After breakfast we went in for the second session of the camp. After some testimonies, appreciating God in prayer and some deep intimate worship, Derek started to share. This was the first time we had ever heard his testimony. We were totally overcome by the horrific beginnings of his life he had endured and the way God miraculously reached out and saved him and completely restored all things. Our eyes were filled with tears and our hearts were throbbing within our chests. The atmosphere was electric with Father God’s love, blessing and touch. What was supposed to be a tea break ended up in people praying for one another , confessing their sins and the feelings of unforgiveness towards their own earthly fathers. Feelings of abandonment and rejection were all surfacing and being dealt with. People found rest, true love, assurance and security in the depths of their souls. They found what they were always longing, looking for and restless about. Thank you Derek for showing us the Father. Praying a fatherly blessings after some of the teenagers was my highlight on the camp.
We went shortly into the third session, splitting up girls and guys. This created a wonderful platform for sharing, confessing and being vulnerable with one another. Derek and Linda shared and opened up some very relevant and hard topics around purity. A purity covenant was established and formed between every young man and God. Job 31:1 “I make covenant with my eyes not to look upon a woman lustfully”. Every boy became a man, as they stood up to make covenant with their God. The woman were challenged gracefully by Linda to ‘Wait instead of Date’. This was well received.
Saturday afternoon was filled with activities, fun and play. People went hiking through the woods and up on to hill tops. Others played volley ball and a very competitive 5-a-side soccer tournament. Thanks to Priasen playing ref and organizing the teams. Always lovely to see the under dogs take the Dawn View Championship Cup. Well done to the winning team: Frank, Tarryn, Fez, Shaun and Syd. Better luck next time guys!
Saturday evening was grounded by some strong preaching and teaching. I preached about a ‘Joshua Generation’. Joshua was an incredibly successful leader that took the promises of God for Israel and made it a reality. Relating many of his story’s for our lives was key and will be so into the next season. Vision and direction for the preaching in the third term will be found in books like Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers and Joshua. Priasen taught from Galatians 5 about the 17 sins of the flesh, how the little foxes ruin the vineyard and hinder the breakthrough to the promised land. It was a brilliant teaching that was well executed. It was followed by a moment around the bonfire that we called a ‘Circumcision of the heart’. Where we burnt a box that contained notes written to God. People put these notes into the box throughout the weekend. Notes of confession, things people needed breakthrough with, anxieties, wrestles and struggles. It was an awesome moment as the black box went up in flames. People broke out into spontaneous prayer. A beautiful sky filled with stars, fresh crisp air of the midlands and the cracklings of the fire made it a wonderful memory. We passed around the bread and the grape juice and had communion, remembering our Lord’s death and we proclaimed His death, resurrection and coming as we sang together and worshiped.
Sunday morning was unique and special as we ventured down the hill, to the dam. Everyone gathered around the water and I began to teach on water baptism. Taunted by the group they jeered me up to jump in the water, which I did and then lost my breath. I could no longer feel my toes it was so cold. Priasen got in to help me and screamed “help me, Jesus”. So freezing was the water. We don’t know how we coped through all ten baptisms, but we had a lot of fun, laughter and hilarious moments in between. No names mentioned, but there was huge excitement as a wig came off in the water.
Well done to all those who obeyed God’s word and made a decision to take the plunge. Youth of Glenridge Church, I’m proud of you and love you dearly. What a privilege for Tracey and I to be part of such an instrumental and transformational weekend in your lives. Thank You Lord for blowing our expectations away.