(Argentina) The Pulse of Happiness in Our Hearts

It was the third day of the Camp and it started with the pouring down of refreshing rain. The morning was met with a very peaceful heart, while listening to the piano solo and cello solo by the Gracias Choir. The clear sound from the piano and the soothing music of the cello gave energy into the hearts of the participants, who had the whole day ahead of them. During the morning session, Pastor Ock Soo Park said that our hearts were just like learning a language; it is difficult at the start but later becomes very easy. He preached that, although it is difficult at first to match your heart to God because there are differences, later on it becomes easier and if you become a person who has the same heart as God, your life will change. During the time of Guest Lecture, there was a speech from the ex-senator, Armino Chena.

The lecture had a theme of the things that are important in our lives, using the experiences of his own life. “What are the important things in our lives? First of all, I think that it is ‘attitude’. One rotten apple make the whole barrel go bad. If a person lives with a negative attitude, others around them will not approach this person.” Other than that, he said that putting ethics into practice was an important element. To finish he spoke about what he had realised while reading the book, ‘Who Are You that Is Dragging Me?’ “I read a verse in the book of Pastor Park about expressing the heart. Our life changing depends on whether or not we express our hearts. Everyone, do not forget these times and let us speak of our hearts.”

During the performance of the Gracias Choir, in the morning, we were taken to Africa. The African Acapella songs such as Hakuna Mungu Kama or Nimekam Bolia, arose the happiness in the bodies and hearts of the participants. Everyone became one and began to sing and dance to the music. The smiles on the students’ faces were as bright as that of the Gracias Choir and our hearts were overflowed with happiness.

During the Mind Lecture in the morning session, Pastor Ock Soo Park described our hearts, reflecting on the Prodigal Son. “Come back, Come back, Come back now.” He preached that when we discover our own image which was lost after leaving God, we will be able to live the most blessed life after returning to Him just as the Prodigal Son returned to the father. For the afternoon programme, there were the Mini Olympics. Although there were worries that the continued rain would ruin the schedule, a new weather came and the games could be played.

Students sprinted to the game area. ‘Forwards! No, back!’ Like this they were giving directions to a friend in order to stop him spilling all the water in the cup. They even gave out their own backs to help the other student walk forward. While participating in the games, they bumped into each other and as they put their heads together to solve the problems, the students were able to become closer to their classes.

The soft bass of a baritone solo decorated the first performance. The vocals and the acting of the ensemble were perfectly harmonized while singing ‘Java Jive’ and ‘La Cucaracha’. This made it easier for the students to listen and understand the music that they were hearing. Although the next performance was a marimba solo, which many have been new to a lot of the participants, it captured their attention with a unique, clear sound.

‘Arirang, arirang, arario’ The sound of Korea’s song ‘Arirang’ rang in Argentina. Although they could not understand the words, everyone was touched as the music was filled with heart. The last ‘Encore’ song, which was ‘Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina’, was a song that had already been sung in the opening ceremony but it was all the more enticing. Throughout the whole concert, the Gracias Choir led us into the music. We were able to forget ourselves and have a happy time in the music..

In the evening message, Pastor Ock Soo Park spoke about the great love that Jesus has for us, using the example of his own father, who had been on the verge of death but heard the Gospel of God. “Everyone, the second son was able to realise the love of the father that he did not know even existed. My father was also able to learn about the love of God. The Lord had taken charge of all of our sins. He had died instead of us! How could He love someone as bad as me? However, he does. He loves us all. I want to preach this Gospel to more people. We have also received grace in Argentina and that is how I am able to be with you today. I hope that, without the exception of anyone, everyone will know and live with the heart of Jesus.”

After the message, the missionaries in the South American region split up into groups for ‘Gospel Class’ to preach the Gospel more deeply and precisely to the students. You could see the serious, focused expressions of the students who were encountering the Gospel for the first time. During the rest of the Camp, the Gospel would have been preached to each and every person and through that, their lives will change. On the day that the Camp ended, everyone was happy to be in one accord with Jesus.

#GoodNewsMission #OckSooPark