Sonstroke16 gets a Son tan

SONTAN camp hosted by WAC (We Amplify Christ). Dates: 12, 13 and 14, September 2008. Venue: Scripture Union Camp site, Mahabalipuram, Chennai.

Shades on my face, Sleep on Lloyd’s and 104 degrees on Anant’s, we left Bangalore on 12th morning for the SONTAN camp. Yeah…Lloyd didn’t sleep well, Anant had high fever and I can’t stand the Chennai heat without shades. I urged my friends to pray for Anant and the band. The 6 hrs journey began at 8.35 AM and ended at 3 PM at Chennai Central. Anant’s fever had completely vanished by God’s grace. Amazing!

So…we were all set to enjoy the camp to the core and get a Son tan…and we did.
The WAC team headed by Colin was filled with fun… it’s in their blood. C’mon after 10 pm the games began…from shaving the balloon to filling the balloons with water and run around to splash it on someone… other activities like sand sculpture, chariot of fire, limbo and so on were organized to keep the excitement going through out the camp. I was happy to meet Praveen my senior from Madras University. He was part of the WAC crew.

But this camp was not all about fun. There was an equal balance of fun and the message. Pr. Shaun from Word of life took the sessions on Purpose of life and the ways to get a SON Tan. The WACKY band lead good worship sessions. The song SON SHINY DAY was the theme song which was modified version a an old hit ‘sun shiny day’. Steeve Vatz also lead worship in one of the sessions. He and Pr. Thomson from Good Samaritan Fellowship shared a brief and powerful word. The WAC team stuck to their vision of ‘reaching the youth’ coz the topics were all relevant to the young generation.

We had such an awesome time getting to know the people and participating with them in all the activities. In just 3 days we made a lot of new friends. They really kept us going as we played on Saturday night at the concert. We could feel their excitement and were overwhelmed with their response and feedbacks. A2J also played that night.

We also remembered the situation in Orissa, thanks to a believer who just returned from Orissa. He shared the stories and the photos. Everyone prayed for him and the people facing persecution. We performed IN HIS NAME for the first time which was written during the communal riots in Bangalore last year. We modified it a little bit in the memory of Orissa persecutions that took place in the last few days.

Getting a Sonstroke (born again experience) is not just enough. Getting a Son tan, i.e carrying God’s love and shinning Jesus on us all the time completes the faith and our purpose of life in this world. This camp really motivated us to continue to do what we are called to do. We are all charged up now.

- Gladvin Gaius