Chanku Waste Ranch, Day 3....Water Day!

We are now officially halfway through the week of camp!  It is crazy how time flies by.  Our days and evenings have been full, leaving very little downtime for rest or relaxation.  Overall, the teens have been doing a great job of handling the pressure and the crazy paced schedule.  By the middle of the week fuses are starting to shorten, exhaustion starts to set in and patience starts to dissipate.  Please keep this is mind as you are praying for the team, we could all use extra prayer at this point in the week.

Day 3 began with 48 kids lining up for water, granola bars and name tags!  Water Day is usually the highlight of the week for the campers as well as the teens! This year did not disappoint with a giant water slide, water balloon station, and a mud pit tug-of-war as just some of the water fun.  We were all thrilled that we were doing water games since yesterday  turned out to be the hottest day of the week; scorching sun with no breeze.  (yes, we all wore sunscreen & had water bottles!)

What was supposed to be Mud Tug-of-War turned into just a Mud War!!

One VERY large tarp, a few hay bales, water and soap suds = one great water slide!

Spotlight from Molly Shollenbarger, Grace Bible Church, 3rd year
Team Member

I was able to talk to a lot of kids about the Gospel and see a few excited about what they heard. I was  privileged to teach again this year.  It was great to see many of the kids grossed out by the story of the 10 plagues, or see them drawn in by the story of Lazurus.  It is not like what you teach kids at home; many of the kids back home grow up hearing Bible stories often and so they aren't shocked by them anymore. The kids have so much energy and it's contagious! The piggy back rides never stop and horsie races never end. The team atmosphere among Grace & Hope teens has been great, we act like family and I can go to any of them for anything. There is always something to laugh about at any meal, and so many good memories Like Sheep Mountain. The best part of trip is the first day of camp when you see the kids again and they remember you, give you nicknames and are excited to see you. The worst part of the week is definitely Friday, when we leave the kids.

 

Spotlight from Matt Ediger, Youth Pastor at Hope Bible Church 

The Lakota trip is both fun & challenging. Fun because we have opportunities that we don't have back home in some ways, like being able to spend this much time together as a team getting to know one another.   The amount of time spent together also creates a lot of teachable moments about life in general when you see how people really act when they are constantly around each other.

The trip is also challenging for the same reasons; living with people you don't normally live with and seeing different sides of people you don't normally see.  As a leader talking to people, you hope they understand that you have their best interest at heart and are truly wanting them to become more like Christ.

Shae Vogt, Hope Bible Church, 1st year Team Member

This trip has definitely been a culture shock for me.  When passing out the flyers for the camp and going back to pick up the kids for camp,  I was overwhelmed with how they live. Back home sometimes I feel as if I'm in the lower end of financially, but here you see just how little other people have.  It also seems that they are much happier with less than I am. I would definitely like to come back on this trip!