He Is Faithful
"For I am Confident of This Very Thing, That He Who Began A Good Work In You Will Perfect It Until The Day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
We finished another year at Camp Nahshii on the 29th of July! There are so many testimonies of what God id during those 11 days that we could fill a book. To share a few, there were kids who received salvation, kids who were baptized in the spirit, and kids making pledges to lay down their addictions to drugs and alcohol when they returned home. Camp Nahshii is truly anointed as a place of "healing" just as the Gwich'in Athabaskan name means. On day three of camp we were in our nightly service in the traditional Athabaskan gathering area when a thunderstorm rolled in and immediately the winds shifted. That shift in the wind blew a wildfire that was moving away from us and directed it straight toward us. This thunderstorm produced some of the most intense lightning and thunder I have ever experienced in my life. Even with only about 300 feet of visibility due to smoke, we could see lightening bolts striking the ground all around the camp. God was protecting us though because just as the lightning started the rain poured down so much so that the camp was flooding. For weeks prior to the storm, there were hotshot crews camped all around Camp Nahshii in the woods. They were there fighting the wildfires to keep them away from the camp. The hotshots had just finished a 16 hour day when the lightning storm rolled in, however, the hotshot crew didn't hesitate for a second. They ran into our camp and grabbed their extra hose and circled the gathering area where we were all located for service. See, what we didn't know at the time was that the wind caused the wildfire to jump the firebreak and head toward camp.
Our group stayed in the gathering area having a time of prayer and worship. Enjoying the atmosphere of community with the kids by making s'mores and singing whatever songs we knew while we waited. Around 1am we got the go-ahead to head back to the bunkhouses as the hotshots were successful in containing the flames that jumped the firebreak. God is good. Even in the craziness of that situation, God was keeping the kids calm and allowing them to have a great time. After that night the rest of camp went off without incident. Dozens of kids gave their heart or rededicated their hearts to the Lord!
There is no greater joy than seeing people set free from the burdens and chains that they have been carrying their whole life. For some of those kids it was the first time they've ever felt loved and wanted. This is what makes it all worth it. When you witness that change, that freedom in their lives, you realize that the cause of Christ far outweighs the cost of your life. It's hard leaving camp and trusting the kids will continue pursuing Christ, but we can rest in the fact that we are leaving them in God's hands and He is faithful to complete the good work that He began in them.
-Tyler Ray
President/Founder
Traditional Athabaskan Gathering Area
This photo of the gathering area was taken shortly
after the storm subsided. You can see the thick smoke
still lingering and the fire hoses still surrounding the
Gathering Area.
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