More adventures in the forest....

Setting up a game...climbing trees!

After an extremely exhausting month working with CESC and literally running out of steam, I wasn't sure whether I should go to the camp for handicapped children (20-25 July) or not, since there would be no time to rest up beforehand.

However, after praying about it, I decided to go ahead and go to the camp, on the promise of just resting the first two days (and for those of you who know me well, you know that I love sleeping in a tent in the forest breathing the fresh piney air much better than sleeping in a bed in a 4-walled room in the dusty city). But, as it turned out, the first day I wasn't able to rest b/c I had to set up the tents for the children in the camp and then take care of other odds and ends until late in the evening. Thankfully, I was able to sleep well and then rest the first part of the day on the 2nd day, before needing to help unexpectedly b/c our pastor who was leading the camp had to leave on short notice.

God provided very nice weather for the camp (which, for those of you who aren't familiar with our overnight camps here - they are all primitive camping - dig our own big toilet, cooking over an open fire for 60+ people, no running water, no building in which to meet if it's raining, etc. - so having nice weather is a big plus). Also, with the help of some new helpers, I was able to set up some fun low ropes course games for the kids, who really enjoyed them.

About 3 days into the camp, several of us ended up with some kind of food poisoning or stomach bug and I was still fighting it a week later (probably from being so exhausted before going to the camp). Due to the food poisoning or whatever it was, we weren't able to set up a zip-line as planned, so instead we set up climbing and rappelling from a tree, which they were excited about just as well. I would really liked to have spent more personal time with the kids, but b/c of being so sick with vomiting and all that, I couldn't. However, a few of the youngest kids (age 10-11) hung around anyway and gave me a big hug when all the campers left on Saturday around mid-day.

I stayed at the camp along with some other helpers from the church until Monday, to help tear down the camp and rest a bit. However, wouldn't you know it, as soon as the kids left and we started taking down the tents, the skies opened up and poured and poured...and kept on pouring (and with a cold wind) until Sunday night. My stomach and intestines were still kicking and screaming, so it was probably a good thing that we were forced to do nothing but hang out and watch the rain... Thankfully, on Monday when the skies cleared up and we had to tear down the camp, God gave me enough strength and health to help the other 4 helpers pack everything up and store it in a barn in the village for our next camp (which starts on 9 August), despite continuing intestinal woes.

So in the end, I am very glad that I went, despite the physical suffering, if for nothing more than to see the joy on the kids faces as they enjoyed the camp (especially the ropes course games we set up) and heard the word (many for the first time). I pray for fruit from this camp and for future opportunities to work with these children.