Teleios Children's Camp Week II

We finished up a wonderful week with the kids from Gornesti, Glodeni and Csavas!  Thank you for your prayers!  We did many of the same lessons and activities from the first week, and the children - many of them younger than 7 or 8! - had a great time!  Typically, the kids from Apalina are more challenging behaviorally, and this year was no different.  After we sent the Apalina kids home, the camp was much quieter, even though we had 45 children there!  (We're usually pulling our hair out the first week with the rowdy kids, but we always miss them once they go home!)  The second week we had mostly children who spoke Hungarian or Gypsy, so I had a lot more opportunities to practice speaking in Hungarian, whereas the first week we had many kids who spoke only Romanian.

Group competition is a big part of summer camp for us!  First, we have a competition among the rooms where the children sleep.  They're responsible for cleaning and organizing their rooms each morning, and many of them go the extra mile to decorate before the judges come by :) The kids are also given points based on when they are finally quiet at night!  Not only do these competitions help the children feel camaraderie in their rooms, it also helps the adults to get some rest and not to have to do a big clean-up at the end of the week!  The second competition we have is with mixed boys/girls and mixed ages.  We divide all the kids into three teams, and they compete throughout the week in group games, memorizing scripture, and helping out around the camp.  It's always a close competition all the way to the end!

Group games (sack races)

Paul keeping track of the points for us

Sweet little faces!

Zozo, Attila and Paul actually had time for a photo together!

Our chef for the week

Our sweet friends Alina and Zozo

Bonnie performing a science experiment (extinguishing fire with baking soda and vinegar!)

Here we are, just enjoying the scenery after recreation! :)

Jeno, Bonnie and Adel N.

Like I said last week, Paul did a great job with the recreation!  He used some of the kids' favorite games from years past as well as some new games he discovered and created on his own.  Here's a quick video of some of the kids playing "Bombers" - a game where the kids run from one end of the field to the other and attempt to hide or duck away from water "bombs" being thrown at them as they go!

Sarah Grace also did an awesome job helping the kids create skits and perform songs about the Bible stories Bonnie taught during the week.  Two of the groups even learned simple songs in English!  Here's a short video of one group singing "It isn't Hot (in the Furnace)" about the story in Daniel about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  The words are "It isn't hot (ssssss!) in the furnace, man! / Man, this furnace is cool, cool, cool, cool!"  If you tune in to about :40, you'll be surprised by a couple of "celebrity" appearances!  You don't want to miss it!!

Many of the children in the second week were touched by the stories and lessons they heard.  It warmed our hearts to see them gathering their friends to pray together - unprompted!  Please pray for us as we seek to find the best ways to continue to teach and encourage these kids once they're back at home.

Thank you for your encouragement during these busy summer weeks!  This week, we are out at another camp for youth in Harghita County, and this weekend we will welcome another team from the States as we begin VBS in Apalina.  Please keep us in your prayers as Paul and I are now both battling sinus infections!  We don't have time for that!

Love,
Katie