[Thailand] Mahasarakham World Camp Meets IYF and Finds Happiness!

After the first 2016 Thailand World Camp in Thammasat University, the 3rd World Camp was held in the city of Mahasarakham. At this camp, 2400 students attended and the university president, vice-president, and deans also showed much interest by joining hearts with the IYF. Not only did the school prepare 2400 students for the event, but also sponsored us with an event venue, accommodation, and meals.

The Righteous Stars opened the event with their bright smiles, cultural dance, various performances of the Rio Montana moved the hearts of the students. The true story especially, greatly popular among the students, made them laugh and cry, and became a motive in opening their hearts.

This camp’s main lecturer, Pastor Dong Sung Kim knocked on the doors of the students’ hearts with the topic of idea and mind of people on the first day, a world that cannot be lived alone and the importance of forgiving on the second day, and the connection and communication of the heart on the last day. He mentioned, ‘what we see is not correct but wrong,’ also, ‘I cannot be happy as myself and solve problems, but when I am connected with someone, carry out conversation of the heart, and our hearts flow, true happiness comes.’

After the lecture, about 20 students each gathered in groups with a group teacher spent time sharing what was in their hearts. As the students had the time to freely talk about the difficulties in their lives, they were able to free themselves from the problems gradually.

At this camp, the students were able to spend an informative time as they participated in the academies carried out by invited specialist instructors. Moreover, through the culture festival events prepared by the Thai Good News Corps overseas volunteers from class 1 to 8, the students were able to experience each nation and continent culture and food, and spend a meaningful time listening to the volunteers’ story.

On the last day of the camp, a mind speech contest was held. Although it was the students’ first to participate, they opened their hearts and told a story they had never been able to tell anyone. The 13 students that passed the preliminary and made it to the finals spoke about how they closed their hearts towards their parents, how they fought with their friends and couldn’t forgive them, how they made a loan from the bank to invest in stocks and lost all the money but couldn’t tell their parents etc. It was a time for them for discovering their wrong minds of the past through the mind lecture, experiencing true change, and expressing their thanks to the IYF.

A student named Pantip who received the grand prize at the mind speech contest says she only participated to share what she felt in her heart but having received a prize, she was very happy. She shared that after listening to the lecturer’s story about a whirlpool, she felt herself to be trapped in a whirlpool and was unhappy because she couldn’t get out but, as she attended the camp, opened her heart and communicated, she was able to come out of this problem.

Although it was 3 short days, many students came together with the IYF and experienced happiness as they learned the world of the mind. Through this camp, many students showed interest in applying to the Good News Corps Program and wished to join.