Testimony By Jon Fehr

Very seldom in our busy days do we have time to rest. Taking time for the Sabbath seems to be something we don't understand. in our North American culture, as the idea that "Time is money" is pushed on us from a very early age. You work to eat, you eat to live, and you live to make money to live more comfortably before you die. This is a very wordly look on life, and it is said that it is passed on to the Christian Church. Christians have forgotten how to rest.
     I think this is one key reason for the importance of a place like Wilderness Camp. It is a simple place where people can come to rest and be refreshed, without having to worry about being judged or looked down upon by others. It is a place of spiritual growth and blessing, and a time to grow in ones faith and to understand more fully the plan of God for each of our lives.

When I first came to Wilderness Ministries I came with a very wordly mind. I hadn't come to meet with God, but instead came purely to spend time with a girl, and hopefully expressing my feelings for her. But as soon as I arrived I knew something was different about the place. It was there that Jesus got my attention through the amazing testimony of George Wright, and showed me that I was acting very selfishly. I began to understand more fully the will of God for my life, and I started to hear his voice in unique ways.  Within the first week, He spoke to me in a dream, and led me through the night to see it fulfilled.

My second year at Wilderness became a time for me to personally witness and experience several miracles. It was also in this year that I was filled with the Holy Spirit and given the gift of speaking in tongues. Jesus began to pour into my life that year, but almost immediately after the service, I came across great spiritual oppression. It was one of the harder times for me, as a spirit of jealousy overtook my heart and began to cloud my mind. Several of my friends were becoming frustrated with one another and relationships became strained. We spent a great deal of time in payer that year, and the Lord delivered me from my jealousy and, as only He can, restored my joy.

The third year of camp was the year which I experience one of the greatest miracles yet. It was the year that I lost my new glasses to the bottom of the lake. Being nearly blind without them, I struggled to trust God and enjoy my time. We searched for hours and I spent numerous amounts of time at the alter, praying for healed vision or the providing of my very expensive glasses. But no answer would come. After three day of struggling to see and becoming increasingly frustrated, God began to speak once again to me, and encouraged me that He was in control. Sometime later, a friend arrived at camp and was very optimistic about finding them. He went with me to the spot where they fell off, and, completely outside of his nature (as he is not a fan of swimming), he went into the water with a diving mask to look.  I doubted he would find them, but played along with his high hopes. But when he began looking in an area that I felt was too far off, I expressed my doubt. I called at him to come back and try something else, but he said he would work his way there slowly. After a few times of going under, he found my glasses sunk in the sandy bottom.

Jesus has given me so many blessings at camp and I find it hard to understand how anyone could continue to doubt Him. This week I attended my fourth year, and was taught once again that I don't need to worry. I watched as several friends were prophesied over and many of my needs were met through prayer meetings and the support of those who attend. It seems that I have continued to grow in the family of camp, and become more and more comfortable with who I am in Christ. I am extremely thankful for the time that I have been able to spend there.
     Most people consider New Years to be the end/beginning of a new year. For myself, I feel differently. Wilderness Camp seems to act as a sort of capstone in my year.  It is here that I go and see how I've grown spiritually over the year and prepare myself once again for the coming struggle. It is 10 days of basking in the sun, water, and presence of Almighty God. The messages and speakers are incredible, and I've always found myself completely comfortable and refreshed. I highly recommend it to all those who are in need of a Sabbath, and I feel that if you are willing, the Lord will meet with you in a unique and powerful way.

I look forward to the time when I will be able to take my own family here, and watch as my children are blessed by the camp and the ministry as I have been.