Pastor Oleg Lotca and the prayer team had the chance to invite camp meeting attendees across Soquel’s campground to pray three times during the day using a shofar. One day during the week, one of the security guards who helped attend the front gate of the camp approached Lotca and said, “I need to tell you this. Every time you blow the shofar, I feel closer to God than I have ever felt before. It does something to my heart, and I feel God’s presence.”
Another day, when up on the hill preparing to sound the shofar, Lotca was again approached by the same security guard. The man began sharing about his past religious experience. He told how, as a trained Catholic priest, he had studied philosophy and theology for 17 years. He spent time in monasteries and visited the Vatican.
Their lengthy conversation then turned to his observation of Seventh-day Adventists. “Here, I have seen a totally different view of Adventists than what I have heard. I see people who are sincerely looking for a closer connection to God,” he said.
Lotca invited the man to attend a sermon on Friday after completing his shift. The man accepted , and the two were able to sit together as they listened to Gary Blanchard’s presentation. The man now has a copy of The Great Controversy and has subscribed to Hope Through Prophecy on YouTube.
“It was a powerful experience,” Lotca shares. “We see how camp meetings can be a blessing in many ways to many different people. It was definitely a blessing to me.”
Lotca also shares that the daily 6am prayer time with Jerry Page and Gem Castor was a blessing. Between 40-65 participants attended the early morning prayer time and shared that it was the highlight of their camp meeting experience.
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