The theme for the Oaks Winter Camp 2016 was Pivot: Change the Game. It comes from the idea that in living the Christian life there are many times when we have to stop, pivot and change direction toward following God. Many campers who come to the Oaks are faced with the daily choice of following this world or Jesus.
The Oaks programmed two weekends of Winter Camp this year with a total attendance of more than 500 campers. Many of those attendees indicated decisions for Christ. Others received the encouragement they needed to believe God can give them the ability to make decisions to change the course of their lives.
One of the powerful testimonies that came out of our Pivot camp was the story of Jon. During testimony time, Jon shared that he had been struggling with self-harm, which is where people feel so badly about themselves that they purposely hurt themselves as an expression of their helplessness and despair. Jon had been struggling with depression since he was nine years old. He had fallen into coping with his despair through self-harm. Recently he realized that he needed to make a change so he stopped hurting himself and began to attend counseling. Then, he came to Winter Camp.
When the speaker challenged campers to leave their problems at the foot of the cross, Jon knew exactly what to do. He went to his youth leader and shared with him what was going on. As they prayed together Jon felt a strong sense that God was wrapping His arms around him and holding him safe in His embrace. Jon shared with the audience that God had led him away from the path of self-destruction to a new path of following Jesus. This path would lead him to a place where he could help others with problems similar to his own.
It is a privilege to be a part of God’s work in those who attend The Oaks retreats. The saving message of Jesus is the hope for our inner-cities, one heart and one camper at a time.
Click here to read another testimony from Winter Camp.
