HOPE BANGALORE, INDIA CAMP 2015
The 8th Hope Bangalore Camp was held from 1st to 4th October 2015, with the theme “A Community of Excellence”. Two months prior to the camp, a church-wide fasting and praying was initiated to intercede for the participants to experience a transformational camp. A total of 61 participants joined the camp, with 22 international delegates from Hope Johor Bahru, Hope Batu Pahat, and Hope Taipei, and 5 national delegates from Mumbai, Kolkata and Chandigarh.
Though they had very little sleep, the delegates were excited to catch the 6am bus from the ministry house to the campsite. It was heart-warming for many to be reunited with familiar faces and thrilling for the others to get to see many new faces in Hope Bangalore. The meals were mainly typical South Indian cuisine. Many from abroad were delighted to taste Indian tea. Worship and teachings occupied the morning and evening sessions. Afternoons were reserved for ice breakers, low rope challenge and high rope challenge for the first 3 days respectively. The last day ended with dinner before catching the bus back to ministry house.
There were many firsts in this camp. It was the first time we were blessed to have the presence of 5 pastors. So we had 5 workshops on the last day of camp with many positive feedbacks. It was the first time we had rope challenges in camp and all participants successfully jumped from a 35 feet high platform for flying fox activity, though a handful of them have height phobia. It was the first time the camp committee was not exhausted as there were about fifteen JDMM leaders assisting them. It was the first time that chairpersons and group leaders and assistant group leaders were solely from Hope India.
We were blessed by the worship teams from Hope Johor Bahru and Hope Batu Pahat who led worship alongside Hope Bangalore worship team. We were blessed by the teaching of God’s Word through Ps Kwong Lie’s simple yet at times humorous ways. At times, the Word pierced our hearts like a two-edged sword. With the leading of the Holy Spirit, there were times for the participants to respond to God in prayer. Several pastors and leaders helped in counseling and praying for some participants to be set free from fear and other bondages. Before the camp ended, there was one decision for salvation and five were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The opening ceremony was a multimedia depicting an excellent Indian sportsman and an excellent Indian scientist, later exhorting us to be excellent for Jesus. The closing ceremony was a skit showing a medical student experiencing a life transformation in camp and became an excellent student, leading his classmates to come to Christ and then started a life group with his classmates. There were not many practices for the skit as it was natural for the team to act out their own life transformations.
After the camp, a 21-day fasting prayer chain was organised to intercede for Hope India. Four brothers and sisters were water baptised. Six brothers and sisters applied for membership. Though the camp has ended, life transformations and miracles continue. God is indeed an excellent God. To Him be all the glory.
Pastor Joshua Wong, Hope Bangalore
