Camp Blog... Finally!

Sorry for the delay in blogging about the camp.  I had a bad case of strep throat last week.  Fortunately I am better now and am getting caught up on things.

Camp was awesome.  We ended up with about 45 kids.  When I say kids, it’s not just high school.  They consider youth anyone not married under 30 (or so).  So, the age range was pretty wide – from 12 to 25, I would say.

Camp began on Friday.  George and I went early to help with the last minute preparations.  Check in was scheduled to start at 4:00 so I planned on doing that until I had to leave with Eli at 6:00pm.  I should have known that this is Africa and things don’t start on time.  Most of the kids didn’t get there until after 8:00pm!  So, I helped set up the church and then helped the ladies cook. My job was to peel garlic.  Four ladies were there for the weekend to do all the cooking.  It was a huge undertaking.    They did a great job.  Breakfast was tea and bread while lunch and dinner was either rice and beef or rice and beans.

(This huge spoon I am teasing Eli with is what they use to stir giant pots of food)

Eli and I left around 6:00pm, but George stayed to welcome the kids.  After eating dinner, they did a short session of singing and prayer before going to bed.  The girls slept in one room while the boys slept in another.  I think of our “rustic” camps in the mountains back home and realized how cushy we had it!  For the girl’s side, we laid down mattresses all over the floor for them to share.  For the boys, we couldn’t afford to buy mattresses so we bought pieces of foam that we spread out for them. 

 

Saturday morning started bright and EARLY!  They woke the kids up at 5:00am to have a brief time of prayer, Bible reading and singing.  Then they had a couple hours to get ready (45 kids needing to shower with only one shower available takes time!) and eat breakfast.  Then we started the sessions.  

That weekend we studied the life of David. There is so much to learn from his life.  George started off by teaching about being a youth and being called by God.  He talked about things we shouldn’t do and things we should do as believers.  Then a pastor from another church (who sent some kids to the camp) spoke about giving, followed by Zac who taught about what it means when God gives us a vision/calling for our life and living out our faith to implement it.

Then it was my turn.  I had a sensitive topic to discuss with the kids.  David was a great man, but you can’t look at his life without examining his fall with Bathsheba.  I talked to the kids about the importance of purity and avoiding temptation.  It wasn’t David’s fault he happened to walk to the palace roof and saw her bathing.  However, that is where the story should have ended.  He should have left right away instead of giving into lust.  What happened after was envy, scheming, murder, etc.  He had terrible consequences for his wrong doing.  I pleaded with the kids to make the decision to wait to have a physical relationship until they get married.  God tells us to live a certain way because he knows what is best for us.  I want the best for them too.  I made that commitment when I was young and am so glad I kept it.

(I love this photo because it looks like Eli is preaching!)

(This girl read the story of David and Bathsheba. I felt bad for asking her to do so because it took FOREVER!  That's when I realized Kiswahili words are much longer than English words!)

After I finished with the whole group, the boys left so I could have time with just the girls.  It wasn’t planned originally, but I am glad we did it.  Redemta had heard my testimony a year ago and asked me to share it with the girls.  I had a really special time with them.  I encouraged them to ask me anything and we had really good discussions.  Some of the questions they asked were:

I was engaged before becoming a Christian.  Now I am one, but my fiancée isn’t.  What do I do?

My parents are forcing me to serve alcohol at my wedding, but I don’t want it.   What do I do?

My fiancée and I want to get married now, but he is not working and can’t afford the dowry.  My parents want us to wait.  What do we do?

With each question, we went back to the Bible to see what it says.  Sometimes doing the right thing is not easy, but it’s still what we should do.

My session ended up going very late which made George’s session on suffering in Christ have to be cut short.    He talked about why there is suffering and how we should handle it.  Eli and I headed home around 6:00pm again while George stayed later.  Someone let him borrow a motorcycle that weekend so he could come home late and go early in the morning without having to wait for a taxi.  After dinner, the kids watched Pilgrim’s Progress.  It was the only movie we could find in Kiswahili.

Sunday morning started once again at 5:00am.  These kids were troupers.  The weekend was packed with teaching, but that is what they wanted.  Sunday morning, George finished talking about suffering and then taught about what it means to be a man after God’s heart.   God looked down on David’s life and said he was a man after His heart and willing to do His will.  That is what we should aim for - for God to look down on us and say the same thing.  He talked about David’s characteristics that we should try to have as well – loving God, loving prayer, loving God’s words, etc.

Camp ended Sunday afternoon around 3:30.  Each kid was prayed over before going home.  The weekend was exhausting, but wonderful.  We were told that we should do this again, but with more time.  A weekend was too short.  The kids and staff that came were really blessed, as were we.  Many made commitments to Christ and said they learned so much.

Thank you so much for your prayers and donations that made this possible.  We, along with Africa Harvest of Hope, want to make a difference in the lives of kids and we couldn’t do this without you.