This is what it looks like when students from 40 campuses study Scripture for a week.

Twenty three thousand, four hundred hours. That’s how many hours in the span of seven days nearly 450 college and university students spent in Scripture earlier this month. Along with the students, 97 InterVarsity staff and interns and 57 volunteers and alumni, immersed themselves in Scripture, prayer, worship, food, conversation and lots of laughter.

From April 29 through May 7, we hosted our annual MARKcamps at seven locations across the country. Students from 40 campuses attended, devoting themselves to either the first or second half of the Gospel of Mark or the first eight chapters of Genesis. During the week, students spend between 40 and 60 hours studying Scripture alone, in small groups and in larger communities of 20 to 40 people.

“This camp is awesome,” said Zachariah, a student from Montreal who attended his first MARKeast. “You know the Spirit is working through this camp, you can sense the Spirit of God. You know his truth is being proclaimed here.”

The Spirit certainly was evident at each camp. Four students became new followers of Jesus. Ten were baptized. Dozens more recommitted their lives to Jesus.

“We saw trust build and significant movement in a number of non-believers toward openness to God,” said Campus Minister James Siebert about MARKwest at Pioneer Camp Alberta.

Thanks to the generosity of many donors, we provided 100 students with scholarships, totalling more than $15,000.

Please continue to pray that throughout the summer, God would give students reminders and real-life applications of what they learned through their studies in the Gospel of Mark and the Book of Genesis. These books significantly shape students’ understanding of who Jesus is and how God has shaped our world.

You can support future MARKcamps by giving here.