KENYA TEAM IS GETTING READY

JULY 30 is the big day for the Kenya Team as we begin our safari to Nairobi then Ruaka. This year, Mady Bricco and Tatiana Johnson join the vets (Lucia Johnson, Meg Hunt, Rebecca West, Bonnie Parker, and Floyd Parker) to lead Holiday Bible Week at the Happy Day Academy, Tigoni, Kenya. This is the second camp at the school. Happy Day Academy is a Teleios partner led by Mary Kabaru (wife of Bernard Kabaru). So far there are 168 children registered from 5-16. Here is our basic daily schedule:

Breakfast 7:30 AM
Camp Begins 9 AM (We do a 45 minute rotation with four groups. Takes 3 solid hrs)
Bible Stories: Bonnie/Tatiana
Crafts: Lucia/Mady
Academics: Rebecca
Recreation: Meg
Gofer/Loafer/Chaufer: Floyd
Camp Ends at 1:30 PM (or after lunch)
Visit in Children's Homes: 2-3PM ??? (Always about 2 hours)
Back at the Kentmere by 4ish

We will keep in touch hopefully on a daily basis. Sometimes, pictures are difficult to upload. But we will do our best. Thank you in advance for your prayers

Friday: The Tomb, World Cup, and Gypsy Camp

During the night the rains came. The camp woke up on Friday morning to the sounds of a gentle rain. Looks like another day of adventure as we learn about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ and our love for God by following Jesus.

Friday had many special moments for the team and for the camp. Friday morning, Jeni and Chris did a great job in recreating the tomb of Jesus. The Bible Story was Jesus resurrection and his appearance to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Daniel Pusok and Szilvia Kulcsar played the leading roles. You could feel the presence of God’s Spirit at work. Kris from NYC shared that Friday was his birthday—the day that he had accepted Christ at the camp two years earlier. Jeni played the “groundskeeper” for the garden. She asked the children what they though might have happened to Jesus’ body since it was not in the tomb. One boy said, “He rose from the dead”. Jeni said, “Are you kidding me? That couldn’t have happened?” The boy replied, “That’s trash talk.” The dramas have been very effective every day. But, today had a special impact on the team and the children.

After our morning session, we entered a serious time of recreation with the first annual Camp Rama World Cup Indoor Volleyball championships. The kids were not to excited about the idea until the inflated globe became the volleyball and the game began. They were all in at that point. In fact, lunch had to be delayed for the final game to be completed. In the afternoon, the clouds left and its now much cooler. After swimming the children returned to indoor volleyball. The new hit with the guys and the girls is counted cross stitch. This surprised everyone with all ages sitting talking quietly and stitching away.
Friday night we had great hamburgers. The kitchen staff are all volunteer and have done a great job all week. From Hungarian goulash to Hamburgers, the food has been great.

Bonnie led the mission time sharing about the Gypsy Children’s Camp. This had a very special impact upon the children. Bonnie does a great job presenting the story. The children prayed at the mission time for the Gypsy children and the work in Apalina. The prayers were very moving with their sincerity and “to the point” prayers. We said goodbye to the children and staff from New York City. They leave early Saturday morning. New friends are leaving with sadness of saying goodbye but the joy and smiles of having made new “camp friends”.

Thursday: TieDye, Flames and the Queen

Each day there is a theme for the day. Tuesday was know God. Wednesday was talk to God. Thursday was tell about God. Friday is love God. Saturday will be work for God. We are taking a journey through the Serengeti with animals leading us. Tuesday=Zech the Zebra, Wednesday=Roary the Lion, Thursday=Elaine the Crane, Friday=Gigi(Geza, Hungarian Giraffe), and Saturday=Lug the Elephant.

Thursday everything changed again due to special craft. We went back to the 60’s with Tie/dye T-shirts. The children had a great time creating their unique apparel. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the grand unveiling of the shirts. You should have seen the fiery furnance for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Man it was hot. The flames got hotter as we wrapped up the day telling others about God.

In the afternoon, a thunderstorm interrupted swim time. We gathered on the soccer field for some water balloon fun. 36 children faced off (including Daniel, Floyd, Leah, and Tatiana) loaded with 400 water balloons. After a snack, the storm had passed and we were back in the water.

In the evening mission time, we took a journey to Tanzania to talk about baptism. One of the children asked, “What is baptism?” “Why should we be baptized?” The door was opened to share the Gospel and also teach about baptism. We showed baptism in a tank and in tub, on a farm and at a home. Sarah Grace shared that she was baptized in her grand parents swimming pool. Abigail shared that she was baptized in the lake.

After our mission time, there was a great game of capture the flag. This is a favorite of the camp. This lasted until evening. We discovered that Canada has a new Queen and Crown Princess.

More Pictures

More Pictures

First and Second Day of Camp

Tuesday was the first “official” day of camp. We are amazed at the diversity of where the children live and where they immigrated from to Canada/USA. New York City, Cleveland, Ohio, Toronto, Hungary, Romania, Russia, and South Carolina round out the places. We spent most of the day getting to know each other and each other’s ways. By the evening everyone was warming up to these crazy Americans. Mary and Leah are doing a great job with the music and opening session; Pat and Caitlin are handling crafts; Bonnie and Tatiana are handling everything from toddlers, crafts, preparation, and games; and Floyd leads the closing session and mission stories. Our Hungarian counterparts are great. We have enjoyed so much working with them. Sarah Grace and Abigail are now sleeping with their Hungarian buds. Swimming at the lake is really fun. Hannah went down a floating slide “400 times”. Caleb is enjoying the sand pile.

Wednesday was a challenging day as we made adjustments to our camp schedule and the team picked up more responsibility in the camp schedule. The day was a great day. The children are getting into the songs now and the motions that go with the songs. Every day, Jeni and Chris transform their Bible Story room into the setting for the Bible Story. Tuesday was Gideon’s camp and the Midianite camp. Wednesday was Daniel in the lion’s den. (Today is the fiery furnace in Daniel). Pat, Caitlin, and Bonnie added an afternoon craft time. Floyd added recreation. The food at camp is really great. Snack times are in the morning, afternoon, and evening. We are eating six times a day. Maybe it is a good thing that it’s hot. The day’s recreation included a World Cup soccer match and a three set volleyball match in the evening. The partnership between the team and the Hungarian camp leaders has really grown. The relationship with the children is growing. One of the boys shared with a friend who is struggling at camp about Jesus’ love for him. Also, the children took on the responsibility of being a friend to this struggling camper.

Camp Rama, Toronto, Canada

Finally, we get to blog about the Camp at Camp Rama, Ontario, Canada. Camp Rama is sponsored by the Hungarian Baptist Church, Toronto Canada. In total there are 29 children plus toddlers, Caleb, Elizabeth, and Salome.

Monday was a long day of travel. Great beginning to our Canadian adventure. We got to see Niagara Falls! Awesome! The group enjoyed a soaking trip to the falls. Raincoats and bad hair were the order of the day. We spent our first night at camp. Really high temperatures for the camp but adjustments were the order of the day. The camp is beautiful and the children are great.