A former employee was working with me on a current CCCA project when I asked him about his recent trip to Uganda. His reply characterized an observation I had made, but I hadn’t 
put it into words as well as he did. He said, “In developing countries, it’s as if God speaks loudly and clearly, without hindrance. It’s amazing to see Him move so obviously in those areas. In the U.S., it’s as if He has His hand over His mouth and His speech is muffled, so it’s easier to miss; harder to hear what He’s saying.”
My only trip to a developing country was to Kenya two years ago, and I would agree that God’s voice is much easier to hear there than in the U.S.; His actions more obvious.
But could it be that it’s not His hand that’s blocking the sound of His voice? Is it more accurate to say that we have our hand over His mouth, and that’s why we miss His attempts to communicate with us? Or is it simpler than that? In the developing world, there’s not a whole lot to muffle the voice of God. In the western world, with all of our wealth, gadgets, technology, entertainment and media options, we’re always plugged in, tuned in or aware of the many voices calling out for our attention.
This is one of the reasons camp is so effective at changing lives, isn’t it? The daily grind, expectations, pressures, and entertainment options are turned off, in essence, and the environment serves to amplify the call of God. Campers young and old separate from the noise for a few days, get away from their peer group, habits and responsibilities and are given an opportunity to listen to God unencumbered. To hear His voice, loudly and clearly.
This is SO true, both about developing countries and about camp! Very thought-provoking thoughts… thank you.
Once again, good post Gregg. Having been to Kenya, Rwanda and Haiti in the past 16 months, I would agree that it was easier to see God at work there than it is here. Same was also true with spiritual warfare. Saw/heard things there that I’ve never heard about here in the states. We just have so many distractions available to us here that the things of God can get lost way too easily.
Another thing to consider is what are we doing to eliminate service distractions? The stillness of the camp can be shattered if we we drop the ball on delivering service/product that is free of distractions. Our goal is to not do anything that could distract someone from what God is wanting to do in their life while on campus. Similar to a good basketball ref. If they’re doing their job well, you don’t notice ’em. That’s the way we want our service to be.
Thanks for the added perspective, Byron, both on developing countries and on not becoming a distraction ourselves. Good words, my friend!
One thing we’ve noticed at South Mountain Christian Camp is that the presence of God can be sensed by both believers and non-believers when they “separate from the noise.” Our Christian groups will often comment how stongly they can feel the presence of God at our camp. Our secular groups, however, will almost always comment on how peaceful it feels on the camp. We feel that these non-believers are sensing the presence of God but are unable to identify exactly what they are feeling. They can’t quite “put their finger on it.”
I agree with Jennifer, the picture tells the story of what we do in the states. We cover our ears to God. So….if camp is a place to “get away and retreat” from the daily grinds of those who come to our camps/conferences…what do missionaries in the camping ministry do to get away? What do professionals in this ministry do to get away from the “tyranny of the urgent”?
Love to hear comments and I promise I will not cover my ears.
John
John,
Thank you for your comment. I don’t disagree with you and Jennifer; you can see my reply to her above. Either way, the fact is that we allow daily distractions and many other “inputs” to crowd out the voice of God. And it’s why I’m so grateful for what you all do, providing a place to turn off the other influences so God’s voice comes through clearly.
I’m eager to see others answer your questions about how camping professionals break away to hear the voice of God more clearly.
Blessings,
Gregg
Those are good thoughts and reminders, Gregg. I also think these things are good to keep in mind as we evaluate potential opportunities for off site programming. Certainly, one can be missional away from camp, but in a sense you are giving up one of your power tools that God gave you in the first place. (Assuming your camp has a degree of “away from it all” some nature, a view, etc,) And of course, offsite programs can be used as a bridge to help people discover camp and eventually come away. A win-win.
On a completely unrelated thought… Do you think the native Kenyans hear God “louder,” or do we short term missions goers notice it because of the contrast?
Thank you, Nate, for your comment. My observation, and that of the friend I mentioned in the original blog, is simply that when God speaks and acts in developing countries, it seems easier to hear His voice and see His hand than when we’re home in America. I think He is consistent, and will not force Himself on us — though at times will rock our world to get our attention — so our failure to hear Him in these ways must be a function of all the other “stuff” we plug into our ears instead. Yes, I think we notice His voice more on missions trips and at camp because of the contrast to our daily lives.
Would you care to tell me about your short-term mission(s) and what you’ve observed?
Thanks again,
Gregg
I’d say, as the photo you used shows, we are covering our ears and not His mouth.
And I couldn’t agree more with your closing statements. Camp is a wonderful place for people to unplug from their personal busy-ness and chaos and reconnect with God.
Jennifer,
Thank you for your comment. You make a good point, and you may be interested to know that when I first wrote this blog, I wrote it as you suggested: that we are covering our ears rather than covering God’s mouth. Though I think the metaphor breaks down either way, I changed it because our culture craves more and more input from the other distractions I mentioned, and if our ears are open to all of that noise, we don’t have our hands over our ears; we’re, in effect, telling God, “I want to hear this stuff, but not you.”
He still speaks, and we can hear Him so much more clearly when we’re in a place where the distractions are minimized.
Praise God for the ministry of camping.
Great point!