This is the last full day of camp. The morning was pretty typical. The Bible lesson was on how love protects and never fails. Shelby and I did the lesson, we used a story of Paul and Silas in jail. At the sea the kids did sand sculptures. The did a wonderful job making animals and pictures. They even figured out how to do two tones for a painted look with dry and wet sand. I was so impressed.
In the afternoon, we did a scavenger hunt were the kids had to collect phrases from the love verses (from 17 hidden people) and then put them in the correct order. Apparently Morgan hid so well the only three people to find her were the three winners. This game was followed by practice for the closing ceremony.
After supper we had closing ceremony. Since the theme of the week was on Love, Tanya and I started the ceremony with the song "Jesus, Lover of my Soul" First in Russian, then English, then both together. I can't tell you much about the rest of the ceremony because I was getting things set up. We gave a small bag of candy and glow bracelets to the kids so I had to transfer all 100+ to the stage. Then we did our skit. A spoof on the Lifeguard, which the kids loved, but I think just because I got a bucket of water dumped on my head. So after which I went to change into dry clothes, I forgot that they needed me to help pass out gifts. Apparently they screamed my name but across camp I didn't here it. Praise God for helping to remember, suddenly and I changed faster and ran back across camp.
After the ceremony we had our closing bonfire. A bonfire in Ukraine is 6 feet tall, and the kids all sit/stand/dance around as we sing all the camp songs they know. Then they pray for the team and we pray for the kids. This is than followed by a slide show of camp. The kids always enjoy seeing themselves. And although the kids like these things they also have a very hard time with it because it means it is time to leave. The tears start falling.
Day 10 -
Is the day the kids leave. We went to help with hair (one of my favorite parts of the day) and then off to breakfast. After which the team watches the kids go. A very hard time for all. We're blessed to have kids run full force into us for one last hug. A time they often hold tightly (a rarity here), and begin to cry. Going home is not easy for many of our children. Most of the children went home between breakfast and lunch. However, we had one group leave in the afternoon and another group at 11:00 pm. (To catch their midnight train.) The day is relaxing in a sense that there is nothing programing wise that we need to do, and yet highly emotionally tiring.
Please pray for our children as they go home. Pray for them to keep the hope of camp with them. Pray for them to have the strength to endure if they are returning to difficult situations, and Pray that they know were to seek help if they need to get out of that situation, temporarily or permanently.
No comments:
Post a Comment