Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: And the Lord
hearkened, and heard it, and a Book of Remembrance Was written before him for
them that feared the Lord, And that thought on his name.
Malachi 3:16
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(Note: This report is the end of the summer report written by
our camp director, Dan Beltechi. He sends this report to the area churches here
who support the camp. I have posted it here with his permission.)
Camp of Joy report—Summer of 2008
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is our privilege to greet you—our co-laborers in the ministry—in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and to share with you the wonderful workings of our God
among us, at Camp of Joy in Briheni, Romania. We thank you for your continuous
support, whether in giving, personal service, or in prayer. The first two weeks
of camp, for children of ages 7-9 and 10-12, shared the theme Joseph, the Man
who Trusted God. Our purpose was to challenge the campers to put their trust in
our faithful Lord even in difficult times, as the biblical Joseph did. This year
was somewhat different than the previous, in that most of the campers came from
Christian families. This meant that they generally understood the gospel and
even trusted Christ as their Savior. Nonetheless there were a few decisions for
salvation. Our volunteers had many opportunities to talk to the children about
the security of the believer, the Christian walk, dealing with sin, and many
other pertinent topics.
The theme for the third week—for teens (13-16 years old)—and the fourth —for
young people (17+)—was The Me Generation, inspired by Proverbs 30:11-14. Topics
such as rebellion, self-righteousness, pride, and violence were addressed. As
always, the strong preaching of the Word brings either resistance or repentance.
We’ve had our share of both and we’re grateful
for the opportunity to proclaim God’s Word with those teens. Some of them told
of how God convicted them. We have included two such testimonies to the left.
The last week of camp only brought around 30 young people together. It is
becoming difficult to reach this age group as more of them are employed and find
alternatives. Please pray for wisdom in our attempt to reorganize.
Number of camps: 4
Junior 1: 47 participants
Junior 2: 55 participants
Teens: 61 participants
Youth: 31 participants
Total: 194 participants
Number of volunteers: 45
Salvation decisions: 20
Testimonies of campers:
» Oh, this camp! I had a blessed time here in which I grew spiritually and in
His grace. I am convinced now that my salvation is forever secure only by His
grace and I pray that I will have this conviction all of my life. [...] I’ve
made the decision to study the Word of God more and apply it. [...] All I want
is to do God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. [...] Thank you for opening
my eyes.
» I hope that God will put me in a church where the Word of God is really
preached. I’ve decided to believe that I am saved and that no one can steal this
salvation from me [...].
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Building projects
A dedicated group of volunteers have labored diligently at camp this year since
March on the construction site. While the new building and the extension of the
kitchen (photos below) are not operational yet, we pray that we can finish by
next year’s camp season. The needs are great, the challenges numerous, but this
is God’s ministry and we are confident He will provide for it. We are his humble
servants and stewards of what God has entrusted to us. This has truly been a
wonderful year! We thank the Lord for his goodness and for you, His instruments
of blessing. On behalf of all the staff, our families, and our churches, I thank
you for your faithful giving, your prayers and thoughts. Please prayerfully
consider supporting this ministry in the future.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he
hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness...” Isaiah 61:10
A new multipurpose facility:
As you can see in the photograph, the new building is located in the gym and
dorm area. It will serve multiple purposes, as it includes a dispensary, the
director’s office, and a small dormitory.
It also includes a room for the heating system that will provide
hot water for the showers. Heating will also enable us to organize retreats
outside the summer season! The specific need regarding this building is to
finish the chimney and the plumbing by next summer.
The extension to the kitchen:
This project is of utmost importance for the future of the camp. Because of
tighter regulations, if we don’t have the extension finished by summer the camp
will not receive its annual authorization. The extension includes two rooms for
the processing of meat and vegetables, an office for the administrator, a
bedroom for the cooks, a bathroom, and a dressing room. Since this picture was
taken, we’ve finished the roof and the walls—both interior and exterior.
Funds still needed:
Kitchen extension: $15 000
Chimney—new facility: $2 500
New facility total: $35 000
Camp of Joy Briheni, Romania | tabarabucuriei@gmail.com | www.tabarabucuriei.ro
With joy in Christ,
Dan Beltechi
Director at Camp of Joy
For the latest information on the blessings and challenges in
the ministry in Romania, please contact me at the email address below.
