God Keeps His Word

In contrast to the ways in which we often fail to keep our promises, God keeps his Word. May we be encouraged by first narratives in Luke's Gospel this Christmas season. God indeed keeps his promises!

 

The Gospel Coalition Conference in Croatia

 In late October we had the privilige of being part of a Gospel Coalition conference in Osijek, Croatia. 

The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia

As we've emphasized at various times, one of the things Petra and I are excited about in our work with our local church is its emphasis on the testimony of Scripture being central to our faith. That may sound obvious. But many Catholics (in this predominantly Catholic country) and many Pentecostal evangelicals (the denomination we work most with) have shifted their emphasis to tradition or charisma respectively. 

This is one of main reasons we were eager to support the efforts of various evangelical churches in Croatia as they organized this conference. New Testament theologian D.A. Carson was the main speaker. Musicians from different parts of Croatia joined together to lead the congregation in worship. And participants joined from at least 5 different countries in Europe. 

New Testament Scholar D.A. Carson

The theme of the conference was Living a Life Worthy of the Calling. Carson preached 6 times on Ephesians chapter 3 through 6. He provided a thorough study of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians while offering a model of expository preaching that preachers in the room could follow. 

Participants of the Gospel Coalition Conference in Osijek

The conference included exuberant worship in song, breakout sessions led by local leaders and plenty of time for coffee and fellowship. Petra spent a lot of time and energy organizing the conference in the town she grew up in. Her investment was well worth the effort as the conference was regarded a success in every way. I even had the chance to brush off my trombone and join the worship team. 

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to hear God's word proclaimed and celebrated! Here's a 4 minute summary video of the conference. 

Teen Camp 2021

Rather than give another report of camps from our perspective, take a look at what some of the teenagers said about this year's Teen Camp:

Marina (18): "Being at camp was really nice, I'm glad I had the chance to see some friends I hadn't seen in awhile because of Corona. The best part of camp was the worship time, the evening messages and hanging out with my friends. One of the best memories I had was breathing fire and celebrating my 18th birthday. I'd recommend camp to everyone because through small groups and the evening sermon, the leaders were able to bring us closer to the Word of God in fun and creative ways."

Denny (15): "Teen camp this year was amazing! The team, workshops, olympics, food and of course the leaders, service and worship get an A+! My favorite part was the music workshop (an interesting group that was a lot of fun to hang out with). I'll remember playing games at the lake with my good friends."

Dora (15): "Being at camp was excellent. One of the better parts of camp was the atmosphere throughout the 6 days, in the sense that it was so easy for everyone to fit in and become friends with the other campers. The best memory from camp, which I will always remember, was talking with new friends by the campfire. I'd recommend this experience to everyone because I believe you will discover a part of yourself you never knew existed."

Kids Camp 2021

Due to Covid restrictions, this summer's plans were up in the air until as recently as mid-May. Should we host camps even if cafes (a European and Croatian staple) aren't open inside? Will we be able to meet all the requirements for social distancing? But on the other side, we were already way past our normal deadline for finding volunteers and speakers to be at the camps. 

In the end, we decided to hold Teen Camp and a modified version of Kids Camp - Royal Rangers Kids Camp. This would mean that Petra would work at Teen Camp and both of us would be 100% involved in the RR Kids Camp.

In fact, it meant that 5 of the 7 Bohalls would be at camp while our oldest - Enoh - and youngest - Mihej - stayed with their baka (grandmother) for the week. We had a fantastic team of volunteers who led small groups, planned various events and prepared various scouting activities like setting up tents, preparing bonfires and workshops. The theme for this camp was "Serving God, the local church and our neighbors".

In just about every aspect, the camp was a success: Each child heard the gospel, had a small group leader they could look up to and ask questions and was challenged to serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. We are so grateful to the Lord for his provision. Here's what camp looked like.