A Glimpse into SEC
Over the summer I had the opportunity to help the OMS Hungary team put on their second English camp of the summer in Vác, a town about forty-five minutes outside of Budapest. We welcomed volunteers from the States for the week and partnered with local Hungarian volunteers as translators. We spent the weekend before camp preparing the facility but also preparing spiritually and building a strong team.
It was such a sweet time to get to know everyone and feel united under our shared mission to show the students the love of Christ. It was crucial to have everyone on the same page about how to approach conversations with the students. Of course, we want them to engage in spiritual conversations, but many of the students are not believers. They come to camp to practice their English and have fun, not to give their lives to Christ.
I was excited to hear that we would not be blatantly evangelizing to the students. I have always favored a more subtle approach than preaching the gospel to those who are not interested and did not ask for it, such as unsuspecting campers. Each morning, one of our staff members would give a brief devotional in Hungarian. It was usually a Bible story that related to the theme of the day, given in simple language that would appeal to nonbelievers.
The main opportunity for students to engage in spiritual discussion was during conversation groups. Twice a day, we met in small groups of about six students, a native English speaker, and a translator. We had been encouraged to allow the conversation to take its natural direction, allowing the students to feel comfortable and practice spoken English. Sometimes we played games or sat around chatting about their favorite hobbies or holiday plans. I was with a group of advanced English speakers—six girls ages 14-18—and they enjoyed asking me questions about American culture.
Other times, the conversations would take a more spiritual route. I enjoyed being able to answer their questions and share a bit about my testimony in ways that would relate to teenage girls. We talked about how it can be difficult to be your true self because we can be worried about what others would think of us. I told them that God knows who we truly are and loves us anyway. When we feel lonely and don’t have anyone to eat with at lunchtime, we can know God is always with us.
Maybe none of my students declared their faith and gave their lives to Christ this week, but I believe some seeds were planted. I consider it a successful week at camp if just a few of them left thinking more about God and considering what it would mean to have a relationship with Him.
Goodbyes at the end of the week were filled with hugs and tears. I knew that our team had done our best to show these students the love of Christ this week, and we will continue to pray for their spiritual developments. That made every bit of sweat, handwork, and exhaustion worth it.
