Iglekids Camp 2012
0 Posted: February 21st, 2012
So two Sundays ago we jumped into the trusty Toyota and headed up to church with little idea of what awaited us at the Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa Kids Camp 2012. We came equipped with sunscreen, bug spray, swimsuits, toothbrushes, pillows, and lots of energy for the week ahead.
We attended the morning church service and then helped with this and that as we waited for the bus to arrive which would shuttle the kids 2 hours west to the beach town of Mejia where we would stay. We waited… and waited… and finally the bus did show up. We squished potatoes and onions and ALL the food for the week plus children and sleeping bags and all their luggage into a tiny bus which barely held the 60 kids plus 30 volunteers.
What couldn’t fit in the bus was crammed into our Toyota. We all thanked God for the big, reliable car He gave us! It was put to use again.
Here is a pic of the leaders.
Matt designed the shirts we are wearing. Below is a close-up.
We took off toward the beach, traveling quite slowly due to the overloaded bus. About a mile out from the camp, from behind the bus, we see it reel and swerve! The driver struggles to regain control and parks it off to the side. It had blown the back tire! Thank you, Lord, for being our protector. Since it would take awhile to fix, Matt and I shuttled kids the last one mile in loads of 12 or 13, crammed into the back of our car. Thank God again for a trusty, big vehicle! He knew what we needed!
We arrived at the camp. It was beautiful! They had better facilities than Matt & I had expected. There were cabins with 12ish bunk beds. We were divided up with our girls/boys and helped them make their beds. We ate a hearty dinner, formed our teams, created team cheers and made our team flags.
Then Matt and I prepped for our big show. Matt and I were in charge of the puppets and dramas for the week. We wrote 3 intro & outtro skits to go along with the stories & themes of each day of the camp. These skits helped the children understand how the Bible stories we were studying applied to them in their lives. The first night, Matt and I were in charge of the whole teaching. Two puppets helped us teach about sacrificing for our friends through the story of David and Jonathan. We had great fun and the kids loved it!
During camp, the kids walked on the beach and shared the Gospel with those they encountered. Matt was able to capture one interaction.
We also played lots of games!
Can you spot the differences between this picture and the one before it?
This was their favorite game. We also had a special dress up night.
Notice the 'soldiers' in the background!
It was a week filled with fun, creativity, beach, teaching, growing, and building relationships with leaders and children.
Some interesting things we learned:
The children here are P R E C I O U S!
Cold showers even at the beach are still cold.
Matt has some hidden volleyball skills!
Notice the celebration!
Puppets are a huge hit with all ages here.
It’s always a good thing to build a great relationship with the kitchen ladies! (Hot water to make instant coffee in the mornings - thank you!)
Many of the children here have dealt with very difficult things at very young ages.
We were expected to bring our own toilet paper for the week - good thing we always keep a roll in the car!
Peruvians believe canned tuna fish makes a great breakfast sandwich.
It takes us a week to recover from getting up at 5 and staying up until 11 or 12.
The sun IS strong here. Matt can and did get sunburned.
The ocean water in Mejia is C O L D, very cold.
The 1st - 3rd grade age group is our favorite.
Overall, we had a great time and are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of children through Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa.
Two gals who worked with Kelly during the week are joining our Sunday morning team as teachers/helpers! We’re grateful for the extra help and smiling faces on Sundays.
