In June, 80 students and staff from across New Zealand gathered together for a week of Bible teaching, fellowship and fun. Emilie, a student from Canterbury CU, shares her highlights.
If you had spoken to me three years ago, I would never have believed that I would be attending a Christian camp, let alone calling myself a Christian today. Praise God!
I joined TSCF in Wellington two years ago when Christians in my life convinced me to attend the Bible study. I really enjoyed being part of the community and found myself asking some big questions. In time, I was attending every week.
Praying, reading God’s word one-to-one, asking questions, and being part of a Christian community is what drew me to becoming a Christian. I firmly believe that without God’s work through TSCF and those around me, I would not be a Christian today.
Now that I have received the good news, why wouldn’t I be ambitious to share this with others?
Fast forward to the beginning of 2023, I became connected with the Canterbury TSCF group and was excited to attend my first TSCF camp. Summit 2023 was an amazing opportunity to congregate with students from across New Zealand and meet individuals from the Pacifica community. I was amazed at how many students attended this year and the immense passion for God that poured out of everyone, lighting up the room.
Many I spoke to were very enthusiastic about mission on campus. It was wonderful to be amongst such like-minded people who all have a big passion for the gospel.
During Summit, Hazel Morrell spoke openly at the start of her sermon about still being nervous when she speaks about Jesus. She has spoken about Jesus around the world, yet it struck me how to this day she still feels this way. Hazel went on to say that people in her life had told her that nerves meant she had weak faith. “If you are nervous then clearly your faith in Jesus is weak”, they said. Yet Hazel refuted this. “If my faith is weak, then I would not be speaking about Jesus at all. I would let the nerves take over completely and be silent. However, here I am speaking about Jesus, so I must have a little faith.”
I am so glad Hazel opened with these words as I have felt the same way when it comes to sharing the gospel. It can be nerve-wracking, intimidating, and difficult to share the gospel with non-believers.
Romans 10:14 says: “And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”
Summit 2023 highlighted that it is normal to be nervous and anxious when sharing the gospel with non-believers. Part of being faithful is pushing past these nerves and believing that God will be at work through you.
Reflecting on Summit, I am looking forward to having conversations about Jesus and His word with non-believers around me while pushing past the nerves and having faith in God’s guidance.
Emilie Boeke
Canterbury CU student