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Del Oro “fully alive”
by Beth Desplancke, Captain –
“A person in right standing with God is fully alive, really alive” (Habakkuk 2:4, The Message) was the theme of Del Oro Division’s Family Camp. This year’s camp marked an historic occasion for the division—for the first time in its 10-year history, family camp was held at Del Oro’s own camp—Camp Del Oro, located in Nevada City, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Camp was fully alive with activities for everyone: Bible teaching and worship for the adults (Captains Ian and Isobel Robinson wrote a theme song for the occasion), late night activities for the teenagers, and a program with games, crafts and teaching designed especially for the children. Even the youngest (three and under) had a safe, fun and nurturing environment.
Family camp began with a campfire on Friday evening. As the campfire burned we prayed that the Holy Spirit would be in control of the weekend; each person was encouraged to ask the Lord to work in their life over the coming three days.
Saturday morning was filled with dynamic Bible teaching from Pastor Ray Johnston, special guest and pastor/founder of Bayside Church in Roseville, Calif. He shared with great humor and honesty, using many stories from his personal experience. He talked about common passion killers and how to restore our passion for the Lord. He pointed out that two of the most common passion killers come from unbalanced schedules and undernourished spiritual lives. “If you are too busy to spend time with God, then you are busier than God wants you to be.”
Saturday afternoon was a time of relaxation and fellowship, a time to simply have fun. Games, face painting, cotton candy and a jumping house kept the kids entertained, as did leisurely canoe rides on the lake or a dip into the pool. Also, Pastor Johnson taught a session on raising G-rated Kids in an X-rated world.
Following a barbeque, the Saturday evening service was enjoyed outdoors. Highlights from summer camp were shared as well as stories from divisional members who participated in territorial events such as service corps and Western Youth Institute. Pastor Johnson preached on the three decisions every Christian must make, based on Ephesians 2:10: Will you let God love you? Will you let God change you? Will you let God use you?
Sunday was a great conclusion to the weekend. During the morning worship service, Pastor Johnson spoke on unleashing the power of hope and proclaimed that discouragement is one of Satan’s tools: “Discouragement is the anesthetic that the devil uses just before he reaches in and carves out your heart.” Using Nehemiah as an example he showed how to replace discouragement with the hope that comes through Jesus Christ.
Major Eda Hokom, divisional commander, shared at the beginning of the weekend her desire that we would be renewed and be “filled to overflowing by the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.” That prayer was answered—we were renewed, we were filled, and we left feeling fully alive.
