Camp thoughts

Mix 250 plus people from all sorts of backgrounds and languages.

Transport them out of the city to the edge of a beautiful plateau. House them in a large, spartan boarding school.

Mix in food and fellowship, prayer and worship, the Word and its application to our lives.

Despite being in a season where there are considerable interpersonal strains in our set of house-fellowships - God was so gracious to us at the annual Family Camp in Khandala. Many prayers were answered.

Bro Vijay Thangiah shared about the Bible - and about being joyful in chaotic situations (a study of the book of Phillipians). Phil and Lorraine Taylor were on hand to continue their frank sharing about marriage and parenting. Yours truly helped lead two short application / case study sessions. There were times of praising God and times of personal ministry. Time to be with old friends and time to make new ones. The 'invisible' church made visible - taking a flesh and blood form.

As has almost become a tradition - we had our beds next to Arvind and Putul and family. Early in the morning Arvind and his daughter Urvashi read their Bibles.

The kids had a gala time with so many friends. I have to remember back to the OM conferences - but we never had so many kids of our own age-group. Asha and Enoch just enjoyed!

Too soon it was time to come back. We had gone up a day late because Sheba did not have someone to cover her at the JSK clinic - but it was lovely to come down with the folks from the Thane fellowships.

And also to have Oma and Opa Eicher meet us there and come down with us.

Looking back on the camp we have so many warm feelings.

But I want to just mention one thing.

This time we had at least 10 people with HIV as part of the camp. And that too after 2 of our friends were not feeling well and so did not attend. I think that we have crossed a significant barrier in our fellowships. Some of the members are really trying to bless and accomodate people with HIV - and even for those who are generally more indifferent - people with HIV themselves are working their way into fellowship with us.

We would of course like so many more - but it was beautiful anyway to see people with HIV participating in all the camp activities and being accepted for who they are. A small picture of the soon-to-come Kingdom.