Still no internet at my house. I'm posting from an internet café. Working on getting a bank account (oh the documents you need when you're a foreigner) so that they'll let me purchase a phone, so that I can get internet at home. It's a process. Hang tight. Keep emailing. I'll respond as quickly as I can.
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Just got back from CAMP in the Bush of South Africa.
The camp journey had a rough start. I felt like I was going to Mexico on a mission trip or headed on an Shades Mountain youth trip… WE HAD BUS PROBLEMS. We chartered buses (very similar to what we'd use in the US), but the company we paid overbooked and hired out another company to transport us. The second company showed up 2 hours late to pick us up. We then had to travel to each of the communities to pick up the children. By the time we got to the last community, the children had been sitting for 3 hours waiting to be picked up. Once all the passengers were collected, the drivers got off their buses and told us that they weren't driving anywhere else until they were paid in full. Living Hope had paid in full to the first company we'd hired. Because of their administrative mix-up, they'd only put a deposit down with our actual drivers. So, we sat in Capricorn with the buses turned off while our leadership drove to the first bus company, talked to them and somehow collected the funds and got the drivers their money. That money-exchange-confusion took another 2 hours. The journey that should have begun at 8am actually pulled out of Capricorn at 1pm- the children were restless, hot, and hungry. There was nothing we could do but drive. We arrived at camp around 4:30pm. The grade 7 children and LSEs were dropped off at their 'nicer' cabins. The Bush Camp crew had a 2k walk to our camp. It was actually fun and necessary to walk; we'd been cramped in a bus for HOURS and this gave us an opportunity to run off some energy.
All that 'bus time' gave me a great opportunity to meet the children, get to know them and start building relationships. There were only 4 children from Capricorn in our grade 6 camp (there were 39, grade 6 children and 41 grade 7 children total). I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn't be building relationships with the kids that I see and work with, but it wasn't much of an issue to me because there's something in me that LOVES these children that are involved with Living Hope. Just their presence makes me smile. God has given me a love for the children/teens of South Africa that can't be explained. So as we waited for the camp journey to begin, I got to know a handful that were sitting near me. Learning names here can be difficult. As I was asking their names, there were some that I had to really concentrate and repeat to get them in my head. There was one girl that I honestly couldn't get her name in my head. I asked if her friends called her anything else, she said, "no." I then said, "can I call you something else? I'm going to call you Ellie." [For the record, the first part of her name began with an El…. I thought it was a great abbreviation.] She giggled and said, "that's fine." She and I became fast friends because of our silly encounter with trying to say her name. All her friends started calling her Ellie and she quickly responded each time I called her by her new name.
On another note: before we left for camp, Nathan (who put together the camp arrangements) asked if I would handle the logistical side of the Bush Camp. Nathan was assigned the grade 7 camp, so we were without a leader. I accepted and then felt like I was back in Tennessee at Horn's Creek Camp- making scheduling announcements, organizing leaders, etc. As much as I wanted to just be with the children and be a 'casual camp leader' I realized that God had already trained me to do 'CAMP' and be the logistical queen, so I ran with it. [Thought you guys would get a great kick out that fact.]
So, the most memorable thing about camp: THE SPIDERS. I've NEVER seen spiders that big or so serious in my life. They were ALL over the hut I slept in. We saw 4 before we jumped in our sleeping bags and closed them tightly. There were 2 types I saw- one was black and had a fat body; those mainly stayed on the webs in the trees. The second was the ones that liked hanging out in our sleeping hut- they were bigger than the palm of my hand, gray, and had red markings on their back. I tried to kill one that was in one of the beds, missed him and he scurried off like the speed of light. The first night I slept in 20 minute intervals, waking up to shake off my sleeping bag- freaked out that I felt something move on me or just my imagination thinking there were spiders around.
The grade 6 children were at my camp. Just imagine us taking children from their local communities (5 separate places), putting them in bunks/huts with just a few people they know, they're not used to staying away from home, they're now in the BUSH CAMP, experiencing nature like they've never seen. I think each and every child was thoroughly freaked out by at least one of those factors. Nights were a little much- the camp runs on solar power, so they REALLY conserve energy, the water has to be heated in a large fire before showers can be luke-warm, and all the dorms and the meeting room are open-air, so there are creepy things around everywhere you sit or stand. When the few lights available are turned on at night, the bugs run in that direction. I've truly had my fill of large, terrifying bugs. We were all especially freaked out at night!
After the shock of the spiders, I must say we had FUN! I loved getting to know the children. I was so burdened by the thought that many are here because they really want to get away from home, many aren't showed the attention and love that we (Living Hope staff) so freely give them, many don't eat 3 meals a day like they get at camp. The first night of camp, we sent the children to get ready for bed and the leaders stayed behind and prayed for the children and for camp. As I listened to the Lord and felt Him holding me in the midst of my friends praying for these children, I just cried. My friend Meagan closed our prayer time with a powerful prayer- asking God to make the leaders aware of the needs around us, to open our eyes to what the Lord wants to do within each child - I continued to cry and be overwhelmed with where I was and the gravity of the responsibility upon us to love and nurture and shepherd these children. It was a sweet moment!
Unfortunately, it rained most of the day we had planned for outside activities. As much as we were disappointed with the need to alternate the plans (missing out on much of what the camp had to offer), it gave us lots of down-time with the children. There were 3 girls from Masi that gravitated toward me during one of these times. Trying to make the most of every conversation, I first asked them surface questions about themselves, their community and then asked them about their knowledge of who Jesus is. I asked them if they knew Jesus, if they had a relationship with Him and then began to talk about the details of that. I learned a lot about these children and their spiritual needs amongst those conversations throughout the few days. God ordained lots of time and I hope we were all obedient in those times! Many of these children I won't see frequently. As I visit some of the teens clubs, I may see a few at their Kids Club venue, but overall, this was a one-time opportunity to love on these kids and let them know that Jesus loves them even more.
At night after the kids were in bed, the leaders sat around the chimney fire and just talked. I was paid a really great complement (I think): Natalie and Shagmie were talking about how South Africa changes each volunteer that comes. They began talking about how some come with great standards of food that they'll eat or firm in the way they believe about missions, etc. We laughed at some of the examples they were talking about and all agreed that was true. Natalie and Shagmie then said, "I don't think Melanie will change. She's the type of person that 'is who she is'." That can be a compliment in that I'm just open and honest and not much about that changes, or it could be a sign that I'm unteachable. I'd like to think they were saying I'm pretty steady. I really loved our group of leaders at the Bush Camp. We worked really well together, we were all participating and eager to do whatever needed to be done. It was such a blessing to be with people like that and to actually enjoy their company in the midst of it! We laughed and told stories and had a great time!
I'll never forget my first South African CAMP! Praying the Lord continues to water and grow the seeds that were planted this past week.
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