2006 Romania Deaf Bible Camp
Hello again!
I’m sorry that I haven’t updated my Blog for a long time. Everything is so busy for me right now, starting a lot of new things. It is really great to be busy serving Christ, although!
Ok, ok. I will get down to sharing more stories about the trip. Most of you know that Deaf International Short-term mission team stayed in Romania for one week to host the Romania Deaf Bible Camp and then hosted a deaf day-camp in Moldova for other one week. As usual, traveling from Kansas City, Kansas to Brasov, Romania was okay but it is so blessed to have planes nowadays and those people who were willing to give the team rides to places in Romania and Moldova. Anyway, we got a day of rest at the campground. During that day we got a chance to climb up on the mountain. That reminds me of the story when I went to Romania for first time (three years ago) and got lost on the mountain with a guy who has trekked on that same mountain for countless times. We got more lost as we prayed more. Giving up, we walked through the unfamiliar village and met two deaf girls there. We invited both of them to the camp we were hosting but they resisted. Few days later, surprisingly, they came to the camp but only for few hours. They later changed whole of their ideas about the camp and stayed there from very early in the morning until the time when everybody go to the bed (probably, two in the morning… due to DST). They received Christ into their hearts on the last day of the camp! Hallelujah! I always love this story and share with many people because I truly believe this is an important testimony about how it is possible for us to reach many deaf people around the world in the spite of the fact that there are only 1% of 364 million deaf people worldwide is reached. For nothing is impossible with God.
About the camp, the team has worked hard preparing lessons, games, crafts and night worship services before going to Romania and Moldova. We also divided the campers into four teams: Sara (30 years old and up female), David (30 years old and up male), Angels (30 years old and below female), and Jesus’ 17 disciples (30 years old and below male). Each team created its own team name and team clap (visual, not sound). We created four different teams because we want to meet his/her individual’s spiritual needs and to allow him/her to openly express their spiritual dilemmas with his/her small groups. True business, all campers were able to share their problems with their small groups and help others’ problems. The camp teams meet together during workshops, drama discussions, and reflections. The teams also compete against each other in games and dramas.
Let me share you a personal story about working with individuals in my group. I worked with Jesus’ 17 disciples. I have encountered one male in his early twenty’s who has been struggling with his friends telling him about false teaching against the Bible; for example, The Da Vinci Code, The Gospel of Judas, Muslims’ beliefs about Jews twisting verses in the Bible, and vice versa. In theological terms, he is battling with one of four kinds of doubts, intellectual doubts. Yup, intellectual doubt, I have to say this, is number one problem today. Isn’t it so sad that an innocent deaf young man who can’t read or write well to face intellectual doubts? Why it is suppose to be probably the saddest thing you have ever heard? Hello? His country does not grant him an opportunity to be educated how to read or write well. Thus, he can’t read The Da Vinci Code to see what’s up with it and he can’t read those contributions pointing out the incredibility of the Gospel of Judas and he can’t read theologians’ arguments about how Muslims’ beliefs of Jews twisting verses in the Bible is not accurate and this and this and this and this! If you can read this post, then I’m sure that you also can read all of them! Don’t forget about evolution. If you read those books such as The Case of Creator and The Genesis Solution, then you would have a better understanding of how the Bible is inerrant. Good grief, I surely hope that this man will not hear anything about evolution theories that are against the Bible. Come on, people. Yes, I hope this will make unbelievers to realize something from reading this post but who really I am talking to? You, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Be careful! I urgely encourage you to always seek the bibilical answers after hearing every intellectual doubt. You must read the Bible to build up your strengths for defending against those doubts. Yes, it is very normal to have doubts but it is absolutely wrong to rouse any doubt. Yes, you need to read those books that bring up arguments against intellectual doubts to defend yourself. If people come to you and share you their intellectual doubts, then you should go ahead explain them why those things are simply wrong with the coorborate evidences. If people start to turn his arugment into one-sided, then do not device yourself in it. If that ever happen to you, then tell them to visit pastors or church leaders and get away from a worthless argument. Just make sure to diminish intellectual doubts as much as possible. Back to the story, gratefully, the team was able to help him to understand how those ideas are not right and how he can defend himself from them. Pray for him, please.
I guess I will stop here for today and, hopefully, have the team members to put up their testimonies on my next post. Have a bodacious day for Jesus!
For Christ,
Noah
I’m sorry that I haven’t updated my Blog for a long time. Everything is so busy for me right now, starting a lot of new things. It is really great to be busy serving Christ, although!
Ok, ok. I will get down to sharing more stories about the trip. Most of you know that Deaf International Short-term mission team stayed in Romania for one week to host the Romania Deaf Bible Camp and then hosted a deaf day-camp in Moldova for other one week. As usual, traveling from Kansas City, Kansas to Brasov, Romania was okay but it is so blessed to have planes nowadays and those people who were willing to give the team rides to places in Romania and Moldova. Anyway, we got a day of rest at the campground. During that day we got a chance to climb up on the mountain. That reminds me of the story when I went to Romania for first time (three years ago) and got lost on the mountain with a guy who has trekked on that same mountain for countless times. We got more lost as we prayed more. Giving up, we walked through the unfamiliar village and met two deaf girls there. We invited both of them to the camp we were hosting but they resisted. Few days later, surprisingly, they came to the camp but only for few hours. They later changed whole of their ideas about the camp and stayed there from very early in the morning until the time when everybody go to the bed (probably, two in the morning… due to DST). They received Christ into their hearts on the last day of the camp! Hallelujah! I always love this story and share with many people because I truly believe this is an important testimony about how it is possible for us to reach many deaf people around the world in the spite of the fact that there are only 1% of 364 million deaf people worldwide is reached. For nothing is impossible with God.
About the camp, the team has worked hard preparing lessons, games, crafts and night worship services before going to Romania and Moldova. We also divided the campers into four teams: Sara (30 years old and up female), David (30 years old and up male), Angels (30 years old and below female), and Jesus’ 17 disciples (30 years old and below male). Each team created its own team name and team clap (visual, not sound). We created four different teams because we want to meet his/her individual’s spiritual needs and to allow him/her to openly express their spiritual dilemmas with his/her small groups. True business, all campers were able to share their problems with their small groups and help others’ problems. The camp teams meet together during workshops, drama discussions, and reflections. The teams also compete against each other in games and dramas.
Let me share you a personal story about working with individuals in my group. I worked with Jesus’ 17 disciples. I have encountered one male in his early twenty’s who has been struggling with his friends telling him about false teaching against the Bible; for example, The Da Vinci Code, The Gospel of Judas, Muslims’ beliefs about Jews twisting verses in the Bible, and vice versa. In theological terms, he is battling with one of four kinds of doubts, intellectual doubts. Yup, intellectual doubt, I have to say this, is number one problem today. Isn’t it so sad that an innocent deaf young man who can’t read or write well to face intellectual doubts? Why it is suppose to be probably the saddest thing you have ever heard? Hello? His country does not grant him an opportunity to be educated how to read or write well. Thus, he can’t read The Da Vinci Code to see what’s up with it and he can’t read those contributions pointing out the incredibility of the Gospel of Judas and he can’t read theologians’ arguments about how Muslims’ beliefs of Jews twisting verses in the Bible is not accurate and this and this and this and this! If you can read this post, then I’m sure that you also can read all of them! Don’t forget about evolution. If you read those books such as The Case of Creator and The Genesis Solution, then you would have a better understanding of how the Bible is inerrant. Good grief, I surely hope that this man will not hear anything about evolution theories that are against the Bible. Come on, people. Yes, I hope this will make unbelievers to realize something from reading this post but who really I am talking to? You, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Be careful! I urgely encourage you to always seek the bibilical answers after hearing every intellectual doubt. You must read the Bible to build up your strengths for defending against those doubts. Yes, it is very normal to have doubts but it is absolutely wrong to rouse any doubt. Yes, you need to read those books that bring up arguments against intellectual doubts to defend yourself. If people come to you and share you their intellectual doubts, then you should go ahead explain them why those things are simply wrong with the coorborate evidences. If people start to turn his arugment into one-sided, then do not device yourself in it. If that ever happen to you, then tell them to visit pastors or church leaders and get away from a worthless argument. Just make sure to diminish intellectual doubts as much as possible. Back to the story, gratefully, the team was able to help him to understand how those ideas are not right and how he can defend himself from them. Pray for him, please.
I guess I will stop here for today and, hopefully, have the team members to put up their testimonies on my next post. Have a bodacious day for Jesus!
For Christ,
Noah
This is Phillip from Alabama. I am so glad God sent you and other to contuine working, reaching, teaching, training the deafies in Romania. I have been there last 1991 thru 1996. God bless you and so glad to hear about this. Keep up a good works for our Master.
Posted by
phil |
1/20/2007 8:34 PM