For me, I like to see the whole picture. When Violin asked me what I wanted out of this camp, I told her I wanted to see a vision. To be honest, I had no idea what I meant. I just knew I wanted to see something. I knew I was also excited to see so many brothers and sisters I have not seen before as I told Tuhien and other sisters many times. Yet, I had no idea why I was extremely excited to see all of them.
After the camp, during Fasting Prayer Meeting that following Wednesday, I finally realized my gain. It is so much more than what I expected because it’s what I needed to see and realize. The Lord knew that.
As many of you know a bit of my story, I came from a different church. I always wanted to love the Lord and find ways so that I can know Him more. When I was younger, I had envisioned for a group of brothers and sisters to love Him, worship Him, and really live for Him.
At that time, there was a small group of older brothers and sisters who had really pure hearts for the Lord. Though they did not know how to shepherd me, I know they experienced God. Since then, this same group of brothers and sisters have grown up. Sadly, their hearts did as well. Though they still know the Lord, they have compromised too much. Slowly, they started to seek the comfort and the pleasures of this world. Even the brothers and the sisters who stayed brought the ways of the world into the church. They started to care about and focus on how they dress, what cars they drive, marriage, kids…etc. Not that these are bad things, but their hearts began to desire these more than the Lord. I looked at them from the sidelines, slowly seeing their hearts departing from the Lord.
I remember praying to God and asking Him why there is no one loving Him in my generation. I was bitter, lonely, angry, and jealous for the Lord. I did not understand why people’s hearts are so easily captured by what this world could offer. Soon, the Lord gently showed me the story of Elijah under the Juniper Tree in 1 Kings 19. This filled me with hope.
Soon afterwards, I met God-seeking Christians at 123. I then went on a Mission Trip with a group of brothers and sisters. Three years later, by miracle, I officially joined 123. Here, I felt I found the “seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18) the Lord had promised me.
Fast forward to the weekend of Feb 13-15.
The Lord showed me an even greater vision during camp. The “seven thousand” He promised me were not only at 123, but brothers and sisters all over North America! If there are brothers and sisters in North America, there MUST be more brothers and sisters all over the world who still love Him and are willing to forsake the comfort of the world to seek His face.
This is why I was extremely excited to meet all these brothers and sisters because it means I have co-workers in this generation! Even more importantly, the Lord showed me even more this time with my own eyes His promise of comfort to me many years ago!