We finished our first amazing week of camp and formed so many wonderful friendships with campers and staffers alike.
The campers were between the ages of 13-17 years and are full of life. We are having so much fun getting to know them. We started the week off with intense Brazilian games, including the “Endura Run” which is a camp version of The Spartan Race. Each of our teams was split into different sectors where we’ll work for the next two weeks. The first is the snack shack which is in charge of selling snacks and being social with the campers. Another team is the “Programa” which is designated for the games and having fun all around. Finally, there are also two other teams, communication and support, one creates content to post for the camp and the other decorates for the parties and keeps the camp in good condition. There were definitely a lot of nerves before the camp started, but as soon as we got into the rhythm, we all started thriving.
There is so much peace and joy surrounding this camp and even though not every day is the best day, we get to see God work in the lives of those that need him the most including not only the campers but members of our team as well. We’ve been able to share our gospel skit, which we performed to the song Good, Good Father and it really impacted the campers. It was amazing to see their hearts being touched. I’ve been able to form a really close friendship with one of my campers and when I shared my testimony, she was able to relate to me and it was cool to see God turn my past pain into a present story of hope for one girl. By the end of the week we were all exhausted, but a good kind of exhausted where we know we’ve worked hard.
A good way to end the week was when a few of us watched The SpongeBob movie, however, we didn’t anticipate the giant bat that found its way into the house. We huddled together scared for our lives as we were circled for what seemed like forever. After much laughter and many screams of terror, we got out safely. That night has become one of the many highlights of this trip so far. Next week is our last week here and we are excited to see what God has planned for each of us as we start camp with a new age group. This is the first year that the camp has offered this 15-22 age, so prayers for uncharted territory are welcome!
