Camp Hope #1

Week 1 of Camp Hope has ended, and while it was crazy and overwhelming at times, the sweetness of the kids and all that we saw and experienced far outweighed the stresses of the week. As the interns, we were given a lot of the behind the scenes jobs like sorting crafts and t shirts, helping with registration, and being runners for the short term group leaders. While these jobs kept us busy for most of the day, there were definitely moments of down time and being able to just observe and take pictures of Camp and watch and take in what was going on around us. Despite the many people fighting sickness throughout the week, myself included, the week proved to be so uplifting and the Lord decided to show up and make His presence known in mighty ways this week. My heart broke this week in all new ways and such new levels. While the kids living in My Father’s House that we have been working with all summer come from such horrible pasts and have such individually touching and moving stories that break your heart, the transformation these homes and the love of Christ have made in their lives has wiped their pasts away. They have literally been given a new life in Christ, so much so that it is easy to forget that they were once orphans and living in the midst of such darkness. Seeing over 300 orphans still living in that same darkness tore my heart apart. Hearing and seeing just a glimpse of what their everyday lives entail brought me to tears. They too, just like the MFH kids, each have their own heartbreaking story. One sweet girl named Mianda that I met while playing nurse during camp this week was no older than 12 years old. She came to us crying because she had a headache, so we covered her in blankets and tried our best to comfort her despite her lack of English and the language barrier. After calling Patricia over to help us better understand her symptoms and see if we needed to take her to the clinic, Patricia carried on a conversation in Nyanja for several minutes. As I held Mianda’s hand while Patricia continued in conversation, Mianda’s tears got heavier and heavier, and I sensed there was more to the tears than just the headache. Finally, Patricia explained to us that Mianda did not need to go to the clinic, but that indeed the tears did have deeper roots than just a headache. Both of her parents had died several years ago, as well as her grandparents. The only relative she had left was her brother that is just a few years older than her, so he cared for her when she could not care for herself. We ended up giving her medicine that would help settle her headache, but my heart broke so deeply for this young girl, having to deal with so much at such a young age, and having so many responsibilities of literally raising herself at 12 years old, with a little bit of help from her older brother. And to think that this is just one child’s story. Out of the over 300 orphans that showed up to camp this week, out of the thousands of orphans in Chongwe that do not even have the chance to come to camp, this is just one of the stories. My heart is broken, but yet so hopeful and full of joy knowing that 300 more kids have heard the Good news of Jesus after this week. Praise God for that. Not only did all of these kids hear the Gospel, for many of them the first time, but there were also several who accepted Christ and joined our family of brothers and sisters in Christ this week. (I am unsure of the exact number, but I will hopefully have that information and be able to share in the next couple of days.) In addition to these kids being loved, hearing about Jesus, and many of them accepting Him as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit and His power conquered illnesses and demons in ways I have never experienced before. My eyes have been opened to new ways and levels of how Great and Big and Vast and Powerful our God is. We are sad to see these orphans go back home to the harsh lives they face and encounter each day, but so joyful and hopeful in knowing that their lives were touched in ways they will remember the rest of their lives. This one week of camp has changed their lives for the better, and I am clinging to the comfort of that as we send them back to the normalcy and sorrow so many of their lives entail, excited and expectant once again for another great week of Camp number 2, with another 300 kids to hear about our wonderful and mighty Savior. Praying that these kids are just as responsive and the Lord again touches our hearts as well as theirs.