Northern + Northeast Thailand and Mekong, 27–31 May
“Join Camp Wycliffe!” That was the response I got when I sought the advice of a ministry staff member from my church on what I should do to find out whether God is calling me to serve Him full-time. I heeded her advice and took the plunge to leave my job and sign up for Camp Wycliffe 2024.
This year’s Camp Wycliffe, held in Chiang Mai from 27– 31 May 2024, attracted an overwhelming attendance of about 40 participants from the ages of 15 to 60, hailing from different parts of Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, and even Mongolia. The Singapore contingent also included 6 members from the missions mobilisation programme Antioch Campus.
For the first two days of the camp, missionaries on the field took time off their busy schedules to share with us their work on language learning, phonetics, literacy, and Bible translation in unreached communities. Despite the challenges of cross-cultural missions and having to put in painstaking years of learning a new language, engaging the community, and translating the Bible, one thing that struck me was the unmistakable passion these missionaries had for the work that God has called them to.
The last three days of the camp was the main highlight of Camp Wycliffe. We travelled by van and by truck over muddy and bumpy terrain to a village that was off-the-grid. Staying overnight in the home of a village host family without access to electricity, and waking up to roosters crowing and pigs oinking from the wee hours of the morning was an unforgettable experience. This was truly a first-hand taste of what cross-cultural missions may feel and even sound like!
The next day, we joined the villagers in building a kitchen facility for the village church. That night at the village, under a clear sky of stars and constellations, we thanked God for blessing us with good weather, safety and protection as well as the kind hospitality of our hosts. We took plenty of photos with our fellow campers, added each other on social media and tarried till late. Clearly, we wished we could savour this precious time just a little longer.
Leaving the village marked the end of Camp Wycliffe. But that was not the end of the trip! I joined the energetic Antioch Campus group their mission exposure trip to Northeast Thailand and the Mekong region. We flew to Northeast Thailand where we met up with another set of inspiring missionaries who shared about their conversion stories and call to be full-time missionaries over Chinese Mala steamboat and, another time, over Mookata. The conversations and stories were so engaging that we would forget about our food that is cooking in the pot and ended up having to eat overcooked food. Though our bellies were not satisfied, our hearts were indeed warmth and filled. We also spent some time to prayer walk along the Mekong river, praying that God would be enthroned in this land that is currently filled with shrines and altars at every corner. The last activity of the trip was an English camp at a local Thai primary school. We put up a skit about the creation story and the local pastor shared with the children that God is the creator of heaven and earth. The children were so adorable that we wished we could spend more time with them.
Indeed, the annual Camp Wycliffe organised by Wycliffe Thailand did not disappoint in achieving its objectives. The experiential camp truly gave believers a first-hand taste of cross-cultural missions, enabled them to hear from missionaries on field and get to know about Wycliffe’s ministries, and make new friends with fun-loving, passionate Christians from all over the world. If anyone would ask me for advice on seeking God’s calling, without a doubt, I would echo the words of my church’s ministry staff: “Join Camp Wycliffe!”
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