Camp -2012

10th year of Youth Camp in Tanzania

  It’s hard to believe that we are beginning our 10th year of camp here in Tanzania. We have learned so much and had so many campers and counselors and translators and short-term missionaries helping us throughout.  Praise the Lord for all that He is doing and what He is yet to do!

   June 7-8, we held our staff training.  We had counselors come from 14 villages to be trained in all the aspects and lessons of camp this year.  It is a crazy couple of days as we try to pack a week’s worth of teaching into a two day seminar.  They need to learn all the lessons which they will go to teach as well as games, crafts, skits, songs, etc…

   

 

  We are thankful for 4 young people from the States who are part of the team this year. When we have help from outside we must also 4 translators for all of them in order for them to be able to teach their classes.  Then there are the camp deacons who oversee all the food each week and the co-director and myself. 

  It’s quite a crew but what a blessing.  They came with energy and willing hearts to serve the Lord.  It is our privilege this year to teach the True Love Waits course within our Fruit of the Spirit study.  This brought about a lot of discussions and questions amongst the staff as they tried to understand it all so they could teach well.

 

This is Reuben, this year’s co-director.    Aidan, Henry, and Benito – three of the translators.

  It has been the tradition for the entire staff to come to my house for a party on the last night of training.  The ladies who work in my house slaved away cooking for almost 40 people last night.  And they definitely eat way more than you can imagine! 

  

At the end of the evening we were saying good-bye and we closed with the hymn “In the Sweet By and By”.  I had goose bumps as their voices filled my living room in wonderful harmony.  Because they are part of three different camp teams, some won’t see each other again for a long time so that song has much more meaning when it talks about seeing each other one day on that beautiful shore. 

   

   Pray as these leaders go to their homes and prepare for their week of camp in which they will be teaching.  Pray for the team of translators, white kids, director and deacon as we travel over the next three weeks to various villages. Pray that the Lord will keep us all healthy. Pray for the campers as they find funds and courage to come to camp.  God is working in so many ways that we are in awe as we sit and watch all that He is doing.