Sibiu Camp: Week 1, Part 1

Two of my new Romanian Speaking Gypsy Friends: Lucian (left) and Catalin (right)

I finally have a little time to sit down and write about the week that we had at camp in the mountains.  As I am writing this, we are in the middle of the first full day of week two here.  Last week we had kids from Apalina and Peris with us.  These are the kids that I have worked with the last two years.  The very interesting and exciting thing was that many of the kids from the Romanian speaking street came with us this year.  It really reminded me of two years ago when I was not able to speak to the kids as well.  It was frustrating because I wanted to be able to talk with those kids more.  However, there are many things that can be shared simply through body language, and I still found ways to show them that I loved them. 

This particular camp was started six years ago by Attila (the pastor who I am working with).  This is my third year coming here.  It is so amazing to see the change in the kids from two years ago.  I think for Attila and the others who have come longer, the change is even more amazing.  Two years ago when I came, there were a lot of bad behaviors.  One of the kids hit me with a stick and tried to throw a big rock at me.  There was a lot of bad language as well.  This year, the kids were so much better.  One of the things we focused on in this week was teamwork.  During the game times and the evening meetings we encouraged the kids to cheer for each other and to work together to accomplish the goals of the games.  This was also exciting to see. 

Each day began with a time of sharing and prayer for the adults.  After that, the kids ate breakfast and then went to clean their rooms.  We made a competition out of who would have the cleanest room.  This was another area where we encouraged them to work together.  After the room cleaning time, we had a Bible teaching time that included singing and learning Bible verses.  After the meeting, the kids would break up into groups to talk about the lessons from the story.  A really cool part of this time was the creative response time.  Each day, the kids would have a different way to respond to the lesson through art.  One day they used crayons, another day markers, water color paint, and pipe cleaners.  The kids really love this and it also allows us to see how they respond to the story in a different way.

Reviewing the previous stories with the teams for points

Story of Paul and Silas in Prison with the Guard watching over them

Pointing out the way people are different and the same...part of sharing how the gospel is for everyone

I'm out of time to write this week, so this will have to be a two-parter! :)  Here are a few pictures of the camp and the kids.  Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!