Youth Camp East - Day 2

Today was another great day.  Off to Maundo for our second day of Youth Camp.  The kids are really enjoying it from what I can tell.  More smiles from them today than yesterday.

The typical day so far is:

• Breakfast as a team
• Ride in the bus to Maundo to the Compound for our day
• Spend some time in worship and prayer with the Lohmann's
• As Joel says, Love on the Lohmann's (which is very easy)
• Kids are arriving during this time as well
• Youth Camp starts about 9:30
• Morning Session at the Tent for Worship, Teaching, Greetings from local officials and any "special" presentations (does anyone have a song or a testimony)
• Games til lunch
• Lunch as teams
• Games
• Afternoon Session
• Dismiss to Afternoon Tea and for the day (afternoon Tea really needs to make it to the states)
• Bus ride back to the Hotel
• Dinner
• Worship and Prayer
• Fellowship and/or off to Scrub the day's grime away
• Bedtime (various and sundry times)

Today's highlights were...

• Ruth gathering a bunch of the younger girls and boys (but mostly girls) and singing and videoing themselves singing.  I got a short video of them doing this which included Eunice (she's the one facing the camera and she looks like she's waving).  I finally saw her smile! They were all laughing and scrunching up close to Ruth and giggling.  It was fun just to sit and watch them.
• During the morning session apparently it was time to send some of the pigs off to the butcher.  But they weren't cooperating much (who would?) and the squeals were deafening.  You couldn't help but laugh.  When was the last time a Youth Camp session was interrupted by loud pig squeals?!!
• I got to spend some time with the Covenant Mercies staff reviewing their computer network and office technology.  What a wonderful group of folks who truly care for these kids and their families and want God glorified through it all. So grateful to God that we have some quality folks here on the ground.  
• A little back ground on this one.  Whenever it's time to have a formation Joel blows his whistle (no bullhorns here - battery operated I mean) and yells "PeeOhPeeOh" which I believe means hurry.  All the kids think this is funny and start yelling it themselves when it's time for formation.  Well, as we were riding home in the van we pass tons of people walking on the roads and working in the fields.  They love to wave at the Mzungu (white folks is my understanding).  Well, we had gotten almost a mile away from the compound and the kids on the road were yelling PeeOh PeeOh at the van as we drove by.  I know that many of them were not participants, but were probably those gathered outside the fence watching the day's events.

I can't say enough about this team.  I'm so enjoying being here with them, having fellowship, spending our days together and working. So grateful for the opportunity to experience this trip and be able to serve is some small way here.