Thursday, September 24, 2009

Camp Hope: It’s only the Beginning!


Last Wednesday we started the After School Program in Nueva Esperanza. We had a showing of 27 kids on the very first day! It was a blast, the kids are so excited for every activity we throw their way. God’s faithfulness and grace are evident in every aspect of the After School Program.

Here are a few highlights from all that God did in the first week:

· The weekend before camp started, we visited houses to register children from the community in the program. In each house, the kids were eager to be a part of Camp Hope. Going to into almost each and every home in the community was a blessing for our team because we were able to build trust and relationships with the families, and meet some of the kids before the first day of camp. We’re excited to see how relationships develop as we continue to work in this community.

· It is completely evident that God speaks Spanish. The kids in Nueva Esperanza don’t speak English at all, so the official language of Camp Hope has to be Spanish. For all of us English-speakers, this was a little daunting, but God equipped us with the language skills we need and communication to the kids was clear!

· Probably the most exciting blessing of all is that from day one, we had a youth interested in volunteering with the program. Saraí came the first day and jumped right in. Just having a youth volunteer from the beginning was major, but she was extremely helpful and worked well with the kids, which is even better! By the second day, it was evident that she is an indispensable helper, and has great potential. We are all extremely excited for her to keep coming and to see God grow her in this position of leadership.

All in all, the first week was a success! It is clear that the community wants and needs a program like this and we’re excited to see how God continues to show His power and love as Camp Hope goes on.

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