Tuesday, day 2 of
camp started off with 44 kids piling off the bus and vans! It is always a great thing to see the kids
returning day to day AND bringing friends!
Here on the reservation, it is not uncommon for kids of all ages to be
left alone at home for long periods of time, or to deal with serious alcoholism
or drugs in the home. Camp is often a
nice reprieve for these kids and something they come to look forward to.
Day 2 of camp was
very similar to Day 1, but with a slight twist.
We started the day by passing out personal water bottles, sunscreen and
granola bars, since many of these kids live in a constant state of hunger. After
'breakfast' we broke the kids up by age group, making 3-4 different
age groups.
Typically there are
3-4 teen counselors with each group, and 1-2 adult sponsors with each
group. After breaking into age groups,
one group will head out to game time down on the field, where there is a
basketball court, a small jungle gym, a soccer field and plenty of space to run
around. The other groups head to Bible lesson time, crafts or activity
stations. After 40 minutes or so, they
rotate stations, stopping by the water pump to refill water bottles and a quick
pit-stop at the bath-house.
Tuesday activities
included the addition of two fun stations, a team building obstacle course and
an archery station. Campers enjoyed
figuring out how to get their entire team across the suspended 2X4's to the
other side, and it was quite the healthy competition over in the archery pit!
Taking the campers
home following camp took a couple interesting turns; Unreturned car keys
temporarily stranded one of our groups down the street at Sharps Corner Baptist
Church, so another group rerouted after dropping off their kids. At the same time they were stranded, a group
from Texas hauling a few loads of donations pulled in to drop off
supplies.
The time connecting
with others on a missions trip from Texas turned into additional helpers for
the camp time! Several of the Texas
group have pitched in and helped out in the kitchen, bagging up cookies,
sandwiches and carrots. One of our vans also ran into team members from
FaithWorks, doing work projects in a neighboring reservation village…and some
of these team members are from Columbia! Small world...
After all the
commotion, we enjoyed a fabulous Ka-bob dinner fixed by Mr. Raw, our wonderful
in-house 'roughin-it' camp-style cook. Randy is the king of simple, no-fuss,
but quite tasty cooking. Without the use
of a stove, oven, or even working sink, we have enjoyed Fettucine Alfredo,
Chicken Pot-Pie, Biscuits and Gravy, and look forward to Spaghetti &
Meatballs, and a grilled feast later this week!
(He also is trekking down the hill to the garage frequently to retrieve
items from the fridge & freezer.)
The evening activity was a quick trip out to Kuny Table, a mesa nearby
with great views. It is so peaceful and quiet out here, and the views can be
absolutely breathtaking.
More updates
tomorrow, about how today, Wednesday Day 3 of Camp went!! A quick preview, today is WATER DAY!!! All
the campers are SO excited about getting doused with water in a variety of
games!! I'm sure pictures tomorrow will
be a hoot!
Team Member
Spotlight, Keely Frey, 2nd year (Hope Bible Church)
"This trip is
something I look forward to every year, it is truly life-changing for me. I
enjoy watching the kids grow closer to God, and love the opportunity to be
surrounded every day by all the Christians on the staff and team that's here. I also think the food is awesome!! A funny fact: Everybody makes fun of my
bunions and laugh at my obnoxious singing in the shower!"
Team Member
Spotlight, Emily Murray, 1st year
"Before coming
on the Lakota trip I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I halfway expected the
kids would behave badly, but I have been proved wrong! They actually are pretty
awesome! Hanging with kids all day is lots of fun! Funny fact about me: I endure
endless ginger jokes. I already look
forward to coming back next year."
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