How discipleship was born in LIFE Romania
“Discipleship is not the meritorious achievement of individuals,
but a divine commandment to all Christians.”
-Dietrich Bonhoffer
The camps we organize during the summer have evangelism at their center. Our desire is to reach the young people in Romania; to put them face to face with the truth and to challenge them to make a decision for Christ, to become children of God, or to become more serious in their walk with Christ. The goal is a very beautiful and honorable one, and over the years these young people have left camp changed in a relatively short but significant time. Many confess that their time at camp was the best experience of their lives.
We planted the seeds in every single heart, knowing we were planting them in all kinds of soil. The Word of God has impacted everyone’s life in one way or another. The problem is that these campers are returning home to their lives and the thing they remember from the experience is: it was great! Many do not go to church, and those who do lose passion with each passing week. I can say this because it was true in my case as well.
We must not think that we did our job if we just told someone the Gospel and that person put their trust in the Lord. If left there, they are like an abandoned newborn baby who has to take care of themselves. This is impossible because a baby is not able to meet their needs without the help of their parents. When we realized this problem, we wanted to be more involved in the lives of these campers.
This is how D.I.A. was born – discipleship in action. We developed a weekly follow-up plan because we needed to keep in touch with the campers, build a deeper relationship with them, and then challenge them to grow spiritually. We created 12 lessons on various topics to form a foundation of Christian faith. Each of us needs to know why we believe what we believe. For 3 months, these disciples go through this process of discipleship together with a mentor who was also a disciple.
The goal is to make disciples who make disciples. Let’s invest in people who invest in people. We want to help the youth in Romania to get involved in God’s work, to serve in their local Church, or even begin going to church for the first time. Serving the Lord throughout your youth is an extraordinary privilege and opportunity. It is a great joy and blessing of ours to lead young people onto the path of discipleship, spiritual development, and serving others
