SHORT-TERM MISSIONS &
DISASTER RESPONSE

by Rachel Reilly, Branch of Hope OPC, Torrance, California

I was a member of this summer’s English Camp team in the Czech Republic. In 2013, I was a member of Team Haiti. After that trip, I didn’t anticipate another opportunity to go on a mission trip in the future. But in 2017, God opened the door for English Camp and made it clear that there was a need I could fill.

The format of English Camp provides an incredible way to share the gospel while giving the Czechs a valuable skill. Over the course of an intense seven days of teaching and learning, the English Camp team worked to share the gospel and create relationships with the Czechs. I was amazed at the way God comforted me and encouraged me throughout the week by giving me the words to say in difficult conversations. Science, creation, atheism, Catholicism, and romantic relationships were some of the recurring topics that would come up in conversation.

I am very thankful to have been a part of English Camp and hope to come back again in the future! I would recommend this trip to mature believers who are independent and able to give a helping hand without being asked. The daily commitment of English Camp can easily be exhausting as there are not many breaks for young people (unless they work them in out of necessity), but God provides the strength, and it is by His grace that English Camp 2017 went so well!

Visit www.opcstm.org for more photos and testimonials from those who have served as short-term missionaries in the OPC!