Whew! It's been a tiring week, but also a week full of blessings. Camp Hope, Chongwe has ended, and we interns are able to relax a bit today. Right now, we are all sitting in an internet cafe checking e-mail, updating our blogs, and later we're going to experience a Zambian movie theater and watch Toy Story 3! :)
Anyway, back to the subject of this blog. The week was tiring with getting up before sunrise every morning and getting back long after sunset. But our time in Chongwe was most excellent. I met so many different children and teenagers, got to talk with some of the Zambian interpreters and EOH staff members about their pasts and how they came to Christ. I've been so encouraged by them.
Camp Hope, Chongwe was set up as a one week long VBS/day camp, which is open to 300 or so kids and teenagers from around the Chongwe area. The ages ranged from 4 years to 16 years, and all of them are broken up into 25 age groups of about 10-15 kids. Teen Mania, a group of 70 teenagers from North America, were the main teachers for each group. Because many of the kids who came spoke little to no English, interpreters from around the area were gathered to translate what the English-speakers taught.
Camp Hope began each morning at around 8:40 am or so, and ended around 4:30 pm, but many of the kids would come much earlier and gather at the nearby field to wait. Some would often hang around at the end, as well. Here's what a normal schedule of the day would look like for Camp Hope:
7:00 - interns arrive with Humphray and bread for the kids' breakfast; volunteer mamas would start prepping food and get it ready to pass out to all the Camp Hope kids, plus random kids who would wander off the streets and into the food line
7:15-7:45 - kids begin to gather on the field and are entertained by interpreters / interns (us) while they wait for breakfast
7:45 - 8:15 - kids get in line to receive their breakfast of hot tea, 2 buns with peanut butter, and a hard-boiled egg.
** Side note about breakfast time - there were 2 kids in particular who stuck out to me at this time because they were not registered for Camp Hope. These two boys would often wander around the field where Camp Hope met, wanting to be a part of it, too. Unfortunately, we had to turn many kids away because they didn't receive permission from their teachers/guardians, or had already attended last year. Camp Hope is for kids who have never attended, so that all have a chance to hear the Gospel. Anyway, these 2 boys were named Jimmy and Gilbert. Jimmy stuck out to me because he would always wear a Pink Floyd shirt, and Gilbert had a pretty distinct look. I had met them the day before on the field, and knew they were not part of Camp Hope. But I still talked with them as best as I could (they spoke mostly Nyanja), and played with them. The next day, as I was passing out buns to the kids in the breakfast line, I noticed a Pink Floyd shirt. I looked up and noticed it was Jimmy. I smiled at him, and he sheepishly smiled back because he probably knew he was sneaking in. I let him in, though, because there was plenty extra, and he was probably hungry. Then I saw Gilbert sneak in. He had changed shirts, but I knew it was him because he looked a bit guilty, as well. We let him in, anyway. :)**
8:15-8:40 - chaos nearly erupts; the kids who were first in line finish their breakfast and begin to wander around the area. Keep in mind none of these events happen indoors, and all of the Teen Mania staff are still preparing for the day at this time, so it's basically us interns and whatever adult is around in charge of the 271+ kids. Little ones are beginning to cry, and we often have no idea why; rowdy boys are pushing and shoving because, well, they're boys. We all do our best to get them under control, which is often hard because sometimes they have no idea what we're saying to them. Thankfully, God is gracious, and nothing really bad ever happened during this time. We were always somehow able to entertain them with singing songs, playing with them, or trying to say things in Nyanja (one of the main tribal dialects), which tends to entertain them because we're a bunch of "Mazungos" (a person who is not Zambian).
8:40 or so - we bring the kids down the hill to join Team Mania in front of the makeshift dining hall. Here they sing more songs and wait for the translators, who are in a meeting at this time.
We interns pass out the groups' t-shirts, bandanas, and nametags, and for the first couple of days, Brian and I did registration.
**Side note about registration: like I mentioned in the first blog about Camp Hope, we were given a list of all the kids who registered for Camp Hope through their individual churches. The list was not very organized, and much of the information was not correct. Our job, as registrars, was to find each name on the unalphabatized list, ask them for their age, grade, guardians' name, school name, and village name. Most of the younger kids needed an interpreter, so it took quite a while. The first day of registration took almost 3 HOURS!! Then we had to deal with the kids who snuck in, or hadn't registered but had a note from their teachers. There were a few girls who had forged a note, and were sent away. That was difficult for me, as I would love to let them ALL attend, but I know we have to draw a line somewhere. **
9:00 or so - Teen Mania and the interpreters would take their groups up to the large field near one of the local schools and proceed with lesson and art time.
During this time, we interns would hang around to see if the groups needed anything, or in my case, to see if any more kids wandered in to register. Some came late, and some came with official notes from their teachers and were let in. (Most Zambian schools are year-round, so many of the kids who do attend school needed permission from their headmasters or teachers to attend Camp Hope.)
12:30 or so - kids would line up for lunch; pretty much the same deal as during breakfast time, except this time kids from the outside are not able to sneak in because all the Camp Hope kids are wearing their t-shirts.
**Another side note - Street kids would often wander by, wondering what all the singing and cheerful laughter is about, and they would just look so hopeful that it would break my heart. A few kids came up to me and asked in broken English, "I would like to attend, too." I was SO sad when I had to tell them that registration was closed. I tried to encourage them to sign up for next year's camp, but I'm not sure if they understood me. I didn't just want to ignore these kids, so I invited them to come sit with me on the field to talk. I learned most of their names, and I asked them if they attended church, if they knew about Jesus, and if they had ever read/seen a Bible. Apparently, most people go to church in Zambia, and know about Jesus, and because these particular kids didn't speak much English, it was hard for me to assess if they had accepted Christ into their hearts. I tried using hand motions and drawings on the dirt to explain the Gospel, but most of them just giggled. We ended up drawing in the sand together, and some of the girls came over to touch my long hair and snuggle up to me. They seemed happy until a group of Camp Hope walked by with their t-shirts and shiny crowns they had made during craft time, and then they all looked sad.
That incident just reminded me of how much these beautiful children in Zambia need to feel loved and cared for. Some of them are abused at home, are born into families who practice witch craft, are forced to care for themselves and younger siblings because their guardians are too drunk to care. It's devastating to think about and to look into their eyes and see all the hurt and pain behind them. All of us who came over from America poured love into them this past week, but we know they really need to know the love of Jesus, as he will be with them forever, even when we leave and go back to America.**
1:30 or so - second class session and play time in indivdual groups
4:00 - ending songs back near the dining hall; collection of t-shirts, crafts, bandanas so that they won't get robbed on the way home; and good-byes
The last day, the kids were able to bring their t-shirts, bandanas, and crafts home, and the good-byes were SO SAD!! A few of the kids refused to let go of their teachers, and some of them had tears in their eyes. It was heart-breaking. It hurt a bit to watch these kids leave, knowing that many of them were going back to devatation situations and that they may not ever receive love like the love they received during the week. All we can do now is pray for them. Pray that the seeds that were planted would grow; pray that the decisions to follow Christ would remain true; pray that these beautiful children would know that God is their heavenly Father and loves them SO much.
Thanks for reading and praying.
In Jesus' Love,
Andrea
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