by Liza Pascubillo, Writing Team, HIM Oasis Annual Camp 2022
HIM Oasis celebrated its annual camp from April 14 to 16, 2022. The whole church traveled outside Bangkok to experience God’s presence, spiritual replenishment, and fellowship. Pastor Mayette, brother Del, and brother Joms were the in-house speakers for this year’s theme “Overflow”. They focus on Overflow in Service, Love, Influence, the Holy Spirit, and Our New Nature. The passage was from 2 Corinthians 9:8. Pastor Mayette was caught up with Pastor Wilson’s preaching on Transformational Discipleship and Going with the Gospel. These lessons served as a follow-through in her desire to fulfill God’s vision for the church.
Encounter Overflow had an attendance of 139 adults and 32 kids. Four nationalities were represented: Honduras, French, Thai, and Filipino. Held at Supalai Pasak Resort in Saraburi, its big pool was able to accommodate 11 people who were water baptized. The youngest was a thirteen-year-old boy. Day one was packed with all the physical activities, while the remaining days were concentrated on the spiritual aspect of the camp.
One of the highlights was a Kerusso mini production on John 4 – the Samaritan woman who overflowed in evangelism. Kids in Motion (K.I.M.), Ablaze, and the singles’ affinity actively participated in this presentation. Kerusso is Oasis’ mime, drama, and dance team. Another highlight was Retro Night and Oasis Got Talent. Excited campers showed up in various retro outfits and showcased each team’s unique gifts. The night concluded with Mr. and Ms. Retro for their best costume and the fire dancers who won the Best Talent.
The campers were divided into four groups and were given a month to prepare. This doubled as a pre-camp bonding opportunity. The groups vied for the best in team banner, cheering presentation, biblical scene re-enactment, team building, and video documentary. The latter, which was the most touching, was a recording of their evangelism efforts. The two most awaited activities were the Sunrise Worship and Kairos Night. The campers woke up at 5:30 in the morning to enjoy a dancercise (dance exercise) and outdoor worship. At night, they had unlimited indoor praise, worship, and prayer.
The challenge was not only with the team-building activities. Campers must be up at 6:00 am daily to meet their iOverflow groups for discussion and to reflect on the teachings in a more personal way. The singles’ workshop was different from the usual setup. Four stations were simultaneously conducted on organising time, work, finances, and resources. Each group took turns in attending each station and listening to case studies on real-life scenarios. The parents were undistracted while in their interactive workshops since K.I.M. was also having a blast at their pyjama party. They also had creative activities throughout the camp.
This year’s Encounter Overflow theme song was an original composition of Tyrese Mamauag, HIM’s 2021 Global Fest songwriting champion! Coming from a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and lock-down, it was not easy to go back to face-to-face fellowship, but the campers looked forward to each day’s activities as they experienced the move of the Holy Spirit. Everyone left the camp overflowing with good things from God! The people experienced restoration and spiritual healing during commissioning. As they looked forward to next year’s Encounter, in the meantime, the campers are careful that their overflow experiences will continue to outflow from their daily lives.
