Praise & Worship at the camp - May `11

Testimonies of Masiha Family Camp – May `11

Ishwar - I thank God as I was facing a lot of challenges in my life. Money and sex had been big hindrances in my growth in God. I earned well but felt was not using it properly. I spoke to Sydney and God changed my life through what he shared from the Bible. I come with a lot of burden but I am going back as a free person. I really thank God for it.

Ragini - I came to the camp sad and burdened and spoke to Nirmal and Lata about it. During P & W God showed me a vision of a diamond and God is putting light in it. God told me that I am putting my light in you and wherever you go take this light and spread it around you. Keep moving forward. Don’t be bound by the family tensions. I thank God for this camp because what I could not receive outside I received here. I thank God for it.

Mahadevi - I was sleeping with my family and suddenly saw a green colour thing looking like a coil. As I went near and touched it moved. I realized it was a snake. I thank God that he protected me and my family and truly He is our protector. Thank you Jesus!

Vaishali - I used to hear the word of God and was regular in church but used to forget about the word. I knew God wanted to establish his will in my life. I saw there was darkness all around. God told me now my light has come in you and I found the peace of God that is still there in me and I look at the world differently now because of God.

Prashant - I want to praise my God who is my redeemer. I had tension and was bound with a lot of burden. But when I heard what Rahul and Sydney preached I was free from my burden and felt light. God spoke to me strongly that signs and wonders are not everything. Follow me and hold on and I will never leave you.

Rintu - I shared things with Rahul which were burdening me a lot. He prayed for me and even I prayed. I use to get headaches very frequently and also partial deafness. But today God has healed me and now I can hear perfectly and the headaches have also reduced.

Dharmesh - It’s nice to be back after 9 months. One of the things I really missed fellowship and the hindi and marathi songs. Rahul asked me if I know what God wants me to do next. I told him that I don’t have a prophecy but I have a revelation. Sydney while preaching said there is a need in us and it’s not for others to fulfill. If God has spoken to you, you have to fulfill it. A confirmation of what God has been preparing me for the past few months and it’s good to know that God is everywhere.

Jeetu - I used to come for the sessions with an expectation to learn something new. I want to thank all of those who taught us as I have received a lot of encouragement. I came to know what I have to do and whatever we have learnt we have to put it into action. I learnt a lot through the story of Paul and enjoyed praise and worship too. The men’s session was helpful too. I thank God for blessing me through this camp.

Surendra - I asked God to show me how to grow and move forward in Him. As I opened my book to see what all have I learnt and I realized that there were many verses that I can impart in my life and learn from them. When you water a dry plant slowly and steadily its life is renewed. The same thing God has done in my life. As Virendra said if we don’t worship God here then we will not be ready for heaven. God also healed my shoulder.

Kshama – I came to the camp with a lot of questions in my mind and a burden in my heart. Before coming God spoke to me that I will receive answers to all my questions. I thank God for Rahul, Jacqueline, Sydney and Cheryl as they brought the word and God spoke very clearly. I experienced freedom in my heart and going back as a happy person.

Vinod - I learnt a lot from what Sydney shared about Jesus’ struggle. The disciples struggled to deliver the gospel to us because of which our lives have changed. I remembered the story of the wedding at Cana where God could have worked a miracle in an empty vessel as well. But Jesus said to fill water in the jars. I felt that God has called us to fill water in our vessels and that is by calling people to God so that through what happens in their lives God will receive glory just as he received glory at the wedding.

Ravi - Before coming I struggled at work as there was confusion and I was troubled because of that because of which I was not being able to give my 100%. But as I came here I realized that we are all in a garage and God is repairing us again. I just feel that everything is repaired in me now and I have become new and I thank God for that.

Ashok - I had played the character of a beggar in the skit and was going through the same conditions and had no one to take care of me. For some time now I was seeing a dream where there was a wedding atmosphere. I did not understand what was happening, later I read from Corinthians and spoke to Rahul at length. I thank God for such a camp and the joy that I received. I encourage all of you never to miss a chance of coming at a camp.

Naina - I had terrible back problems but still said no I want to go for the camp. I was seeking joy and peace. I am very happy as I received joy and peace in my heart. I was very encouraged by what Sydney shared that we should set a time and place for Him. I do have a time and plan but I was encouraged by the Word he shared.

Balu - I was feeling empty in my heart and as Sydney spoke of Paul I got tears in my eyes and was touched by it. Even today I felt God’s presence in my life and I shared it with Darshan. God showed me that I have to trust him and he was with me. All the emptiness in me is gone. I used to feel giddy at work and the doctors said the bone near my brain is compressed. At the camp that giddiness has reduced.

Nikita - I have received a lot at this camp. My exams were over and I wanted to do something for God. God showed me that I can do something for the church. I want to thank God for Rahul that he allowed me to work for the church. I wanted to see God in a fresh way. In the worship team you have to restrict yourself but I said to God I will not restrict myself. I want you to meet with me. God encountered with me. I have learnt new things at this camp through all the preachers and teachers which I can apply in my life.

Shashikant - God made provisions for me and my family to come for the camp. As I was sitting at home I looked at my bag it was torn. I told the Lord I am embarrassed. Then I left for my work and on my return God provided me with a new bag. I thank God for it.

Preeti - Last Sunday Rahul told me to take care of Sydney and Cheryl and I was happy and excited. Past 2 weeks I was not getting good sleep. My routine was disturbed. I asked God to help me to set my routine right. At 10:30 lights went off so I went to my room and asked God to give me sleep. I thank God for setting my routine straight.

Bunty - Saturday I left my job and Sunday we had to come for the camp. My dad and I had a conversation and we had a lot of expectations from this camp. I asked God for a sign with respect to my career. I hadn’t slept and Rahul prayed for me and after that I slept peacefully. I woke up around 6 am next morning and I am thankful to God for that.

Sunita - Last evening we were singing ‘vijay hua’ with actions and everyone was rejoicing. I was teaching an action to Glory but God was doing something inside me. I remembered the Sunita 10 years ago. When I do something with actions God fills me with power. I bumped into a couple at the camp who had a tiff. I don’t interfere in fights but God reminded me of the word that a chord of three strands cannot be broken. I spent time with the couple and issues got resolved. I thank God for using me.

Fergus - I got delayed and missed the bus hence had to come on my own. The bus driver and the rickshaw fellow cheated me. Everyone was worshipping when I walked in but inside of me I was angry. Then I heard Sydney preach that everything takes you to Jesus’ feet and Hitesh also told me to leave my troubles behind and come to Jesus. I feel good as if I have walked through a desert and have come to an oasis of sweet water.

Nirmal - For the past two weeks I had high blood pressure and recently had low B.P. Deciding to switch to Ayurvedic treatment I did my blood test but the hemoglobin level was critically low. The doctor suggested I get admitted on Saturday. Darshan and I were thinking what to do. When I came to the Lord, I was vomiting blood and the doctors told me that you will live only for a few months and without any medicine God healed me. God reminded me of that day. Darshan and I decided that we will go for the camp and when we return we knew that the hemoglobin level would have gone up. I was suffering with a lot of pain but did not refrain from dancing because I knew that God had held my hand and nothing would happen to me. At that time Sydney came and prophesied that God will not let me die. He told me that my work is not over yet. I realized if Jesus can shed his blood for us then increasing the hemoglobin count is not at all difficult for him.

Sarsha – God was telling me not to worry about my mum but enjoy the camp. Everyone at work and even church ask me when I am getting married. Even my neighbors keep asking me. I spoke to Cheryl and she told me that you do your work and God will do his. I want to tell all the girls and boys that you do your work and God is under control.

Vivek - I felt I had my encounter with God today. I have a bad habit of lying very easily. As I was worshipping God this morning I felt God wanted this lying habit to come out. I felt his touch on that habit. I do not want to lie and I am going to stop lying from today.

Anwar - At the camp 4 or 5 of us decided to pray and started asking each other how are we to make the church grow? Jeetu told me that everyone is serving in their own way. Then I asked God what I should do to make the church grow. Sydney spoke of a lady covering her head with a blanket and spending time with God. I realized till I don’t spend time with God I will not understand what I am supposed to do.

Nitin - Before coming here I had some pain in my hand. So I asked Virendra to pray and the moment he prayed I received healing and am not experiencing any pain now. I thank God for that. I also shared about my marriage to Sydney and told him the problems I was facing. He told me to move on and trust God. I thank God for all of this. Amen!

Swapnali - I asked God to work miracles in my life. I don’t want to go with burden but I want to give it all to you. Whenever I went out for a day or so my husband Sachin used to call me up every hour. In these two days he has not called up even once so I am happy.

Aruna - I remembered the song Rehobot ka khuda and while lying down I sang this song praying to be blessed like Jacob in these three days. In these three days God has blessed me through Rahul, Virendra and Sydney’s word. During worship today, as Josephine read from Isaiah that there cannot be sweet and salty water in a river, in the same way I need to remove all the bad things coming out of my mouth. I asked God to help me so my mouth will give glory to Him. I prayed this prayer to God and I thank God that he has blessed me and he has rescued me from all these problems. I give all the glory to God

Sangeeta - It has been 6 years since I am in the church. But during the praise and worship I am quite and just clap my hands. Sunita and Josphine have always encouraged me to dance. On Monday I asked God to fill me with the Holy Spirit so that even I can dance in the same way. Yesterday I was so lost in God that I was feeling free in my heart and danced heartily. Truly our God is good and always listens to our prayers.

Bharti B - I thank God that you’ll have taken care of me as a family. I saw a pillar in front of me but didn’t understand anything. During the last session three stains of blood appeared and I realize it was the cross. I thank God the 1^st time I have got this experience.

Anjali – For two weeks I had stomach pain and I have been having medicines. God told me that I am going to heal you. I spoke to Cheryl and asked her to pray for me and since three days I have not been getting any pain and have had no need of taking medicines.

Hitesh - I had a lot of questions in my mind and thought God will talk to me and I will return home and start doing my work. I expected God to tell me what to do in my work and to lead me and guide me. But as Sydney was praying for us, Jesus was showing me some different attitudes like patience, love and peace. God was telling me that yes you are ready and you have the zeal for me but you have to be patient. Everything will happen in my timing. It will happen with love, compassion and with peace. I thank God that he showed me that it is not about me but about Him and he spoke to me differently.

Shashikanta - This is my first camp and I was very touched by what Sydney shared yesterday about Paul’s life. This morning I had a bad headache. But when we were praising and worshipping, God healed me.

Archana - God is truly great. I can say that because when he decides to do something with our lives, he does not leave it incomplete. In these 3 days God spoke to me telling me that I forgot about the purpose why we were married. God said that you are not just here to get married or be bound by the troubles of your children and family, but you are here to run your race and I want you to run that race. I thank God for the encouragement and for reminding me of that prophecy that God had spoken to me before I got married.

Darshan - Many people know that our call is for Chattisgarh but for some reasons we had to come back. God promised to take us back in 5 years. God had told us that the year after the 5^th would be significant. We were fasting and praying as a family that God you will show us signs in this camp and also that God would make Bunty and Preeti responsible and that our family will be together and united in this mission. As we were praying we have seen a change in Bunty’s life. God as answered all our prayers. Even as this year s significant for us, God has spoken to us through this camp. As Rahul spoke about money and people being hindrances in our moving forward, I was feeling that I am alone in this room and God is talking to me through Rahul. This camp has been a great blessing. I want to thank Rahul, Virendra and Sydney because through your messages I have been blessed. I have got encouragement now and can go ahead with the mission.

Asha - As we were worshipping God this morning, I told God if you want to talk to me about something then please do. I felt God was talking to me about forgiveness. God wanted to seek forgiveness. I wanted to forgive that person in my heart and then I wanted to go and ask that person also for forgiveness. I thank God for this work in my life.

Sanjeev - I want to thank God for the way he has spoken to each of us in this camp. When I came here, Archana and I were quite broken from inside. We were expecting God to talk to us during this time. Yesterday and this morning God was working through the prophecies, there was a tension in our marriage. First thing God has fixed it. Secondly when Rahul got the prophecy I remembered of the prophecy that God had given me even before my marriage. Even as Josphine read I felt that I am again In that same place. I asked God for forgiveness because I had disrespected Him. And I prayed that God would forgive me and fix what is broken in us and will let us move forward. As Rahul preached God confirmed that I have kept something for you to do. Inspite of all the sins I committed, God kept his hand upon my life and what I can see here is God’s grace. As we spoke to Sydney again we got the confirmation that God’s grace is upon our lives.

Sunita V - I thank God for bringing me here. I was in the thought that how will I leave my work and come for the camp. But before I spoke to my boss she understood me and said that you never go anywhere so I am giving you a leave. I want to thank God for that.

We as Masiha Church went on a family camp with the objective of encountering God in a special way. On a bright and sunny Sunday morning, two busses left for St Xavier’s Villa, Khandala, though a few opted to drive to the camp site. We had a young couple from Chhattisgarh join in with their son. Everyone seemed super excited about the next 72 hours.

1^st Day: We arrived around 11 am and quickly settled in. A brief round of praise and some instructions later, we were introduced to our team leaders. Teams (titled heroes of faith) were formed and everyone welcomed the other as preparations began to put up an exciting show for the entertainment evening. Each team was responsible to put up a skit, song or a dance, the objective being a time of family fun.

Another exciting feature was ‘Angelizing’. Each person was to be an invisible angel to another during the duration of the camp. The angel whose identity needed to be a top secret was to serve and care for the person. It was a mixed lot and many put their best foot forward in making others happy and comfortable. While some received their plates with the best chicken leg pieces others got soft drinks and chocolates, while for some it was an Elijah like experience being blessed with a glass of cold water.

Hitesh led the 1^st evening worship and though it was brief, a sense of God’s presence was evident. Rahul preached the first message from Esther 1 – 2:18, as he connected the introduction to the parable of the wedding feast in the Gospel of Luke, and conclusively challenged the church to live righteously for Christ. A brilliant analogy of pig vs sheep brought a deep sense of conviction to many present as we all were motivated to ‘be holy as our God is holy’ A brief break was all we could afford as we wanted to make best of the short time we had together.

Virendra Patil preached from Revelation driving into the Church a heaven centered teaching. The camp was a similar place like the mountain where Moses went up to meet with God. He prophetically spoke of this time being a time out at a garage for many cars that would be repaired and fixed for the next journey. He encouraged the church to respond to that which God was doing in their respective lives. We ended the day with a sumptuous meal and fellowship continued till late midnight.

2^nd Day: Pastor Sydney Nevis was often being mentioned about in our prayers before the camp but all got to see him and his beautiful wife Cheryl. After Virendra had led us into a quality time of praise and worship, Sydney preached from the life of Saul of Tarsus and how Saul went from being a persecutor of the church to being an apostle of Christ Jesus. We need to be Christ centered and not get carried away by mere signs was an eye opener to many. He emphatically mentioned of signs leading us to Jesus and we ought to press on. A brief chai break concluded the morning.

This was followed by a separate men & women’s session. Women’s session: Cheryl shared on what is the purpose of life and what are we living for as she spoke from 1 Cor 3:12-15 challenging the ladies to produce work that would stand the test of fire. She also stated that the Word of God is like a manual and we ought to read our Bibles and spend time with God. Quite a few ladies found the Q & A session significant and practically helpful.

Men’s Session: Sydney grouped the men and asked them to come up with issues that hinder their growth in God. These stumbling blocks in our Christian walk are real and need to be dealt with appropriately. Topics like sex, spiritual discipline, challenges at work and family lives were discussed in all seriousness. Sydney also stimulated the men to think and act in a manner worthy of the Lord. Many later testified to the session being of tremendous help and promised to live in the good of it.

Afternoons were siesta time for the elderly while the rest continued to bond together through games, chats and walks. New friends were made while strengthening old friendships too. Some grabbed the opportunity to sit with leaders and wives and get counseling and help on various fronts. An organized round of games was played by Hitesh who did a splendid job making sure the competitive edge did not over shadow the fun element. It was heartening to see people of all shapes and sizes participate with equal enthusiasm and give their best for their respective teams.

The evening started with a powerful time of praise where everyone moved chairs and danced in frenzy for God. Jacqueline and the musicians were brilliant and the joy of the Lord filled every heart present in the room. We had to halt praise after an hour as it refused to die down. Sydney continued to preach from the life of Paul of Antioch highlighting the credentials of a labourer. He spoke candidly on suffering being a part of Christian life and the attitude towards it. He also spoke on being filled with the Holy Spirit, the secret for spiritual success. The Word was well embraced by the church.

A quick dinner and we assembled for a fun evening. Each team was uniquely creative. While some came up with a heartening message through their skits the others just made us roll in laughter with their witty humour. Some sang folk songs while others showed choreography skills. A novel idea by Hitesh was the highlight of the evening. He asked every husband present to dedicate a song to their respective wives. It was both, hilarious and romantic. The church loved the concept and the wives blushed through the night. The entire Church was in good cheer and reflected true gladness.

3^rd Day: Final day of the camp and some young folks wanted to make the most of it. Some boys were up as early as 5am and went for a trek on the beautiful terrains of Khandala. Some were up to their usual mischief pulling some out of beds and dousing many with buckets of water. It was all in good spirit and honestly, camp without mischief is seriously boring.

Vivek led us into a powerful time of worship, a total contrast to the boisterous evening of praise last night. The Power of the Holy Spirit was evident in might as many wept, some on their knees while others had hands stretched being filled with the Holy Ghost. Many were prayed for and ministered to, as the prophetic dimension was flowing effortlessly. Some were slain in the Spirit while others trembled. It was a precious moment for the entire church as God began to deliver, cleanse and heal many souls.

Rahul brought the final Word, continuing from the book of Esther. The message titled biggest loser wins, underlined the message of Jesus challenging us to lose our lives for His sake and gain eternal blessings. Just like Esther was willing to risk her life while Haman lost his trying to gain it, he persuaded the church to live their lives worthy of the calling.

We then had a time of testimonies where many testified, some of them are mentioned below. In the afternoon Lata led us into another time of jubilant praise. We had a time of breaking bread together as Viren led us into praying for things the Lord had spoken to us at the camp. Post tea, we left for aamchi Mumbai with a grateful heart towards all that God accomplished.

Acknowledgements - Special thanks to Sydney and Cheryl Nevis for ministering through the Word and wisdom. We were blessed to have you with us. GBU

Dipesh Shah - Thank you for all the administration and organization of the camp. You are a star!

Fergus Davar - Thank you for helping in compiling this report. God bless you.

Masiha Church Family Camp - May `11

A church family camp is a highly anticipated event and the degree of expectation doubles if it’s coming after a hiatus of four long years. Masiha church was extremely upbeat and enthusiastic about her camp as more than 60 % of those attending had never been a part of a family camp, in fact more than 40% had never been at any camp. Despite the numerical restriction due to site capacity, we had a full house with 100 people registering besides a dozen juniors. Unfortunately a few had to be turned down due to lack of space.

We sought the Lord fervently through the month of April by prayer and fasting regularly believing Jesus Christ to do a powerful and lasting work, in and through us, for His glory. Our God is a prayer answering God and He responded to our request with a lot of generosity not disappointing any. I am certain you will join me in giving all glory and honour to our Master as you read a brief report of our camp titled “Labourers for His Glory” A synopsis of our camp is mentioned below. Hope you enjoy reading it.

Together for Him

Rahul Rao