Summer Camps in Kawai

For most of the month of February I am working in Scripture Union Peru's summer camps at Kawai. Kawai is a large campsite owned by Scripture Union right on the Pacific Ocean. While most of you readers are all bundled up trying to keep warm, I have the privilege of spending one month of my Peruvian summer on the beach working with all different types of kids and youth. This past week I had a special opportunity to help host a camp in partnership with another organization called SOS Children's Villages International. Forty teenagers came from the Esperanza home and the Rio Hondo. While the organization itself is not a Christian organization, I had the opportunity to spend four days with the kids and to share God's love with them.

We did all sorts of activities during the week. We spent hours in the pool and even more time on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We had relay races, skits, soccer and volleyball tournament, we slept in tents, and we had plenty more excitement during the week. One thing that amazes me working with kids and youth is how quickly you can begin to build relationships. What a blessing it is to become involved in the lives of people who you are just beginning to know. Working here in Kawai brings back years of good memories at Ward's Kids Kamp. I loved going to camp and enjoying life as a camper, but I also remember that God worked in my life through the counselors and other role models that he placed in my path.

I now have the opportunity to be one of those role models for these kids. For me the highlight of last week was the very last night. We had a bonfire on the beach and we went around the circle talking about our experiences from the last few days. We had a few laughs thinking of the funny things that happened during the week. We toasted marshmallows, and we enjoyed the beach. As the evening was coming to an end each of the counselors had a chance to say sometime. Paul, the director of the camp, shared how he made a decision for Christ in Kawai a number of years ago. When my turn came I felt pressed to share that one of the great things about God's love is that he chooses to continue loving us even in the midst of our broken condition. I shared that we can come to God just as we are with all of our problems, and he will accept us with open arms. The other guides continued to give a few words, and then the evening was over. We started to go back to the campsite, but I noticed that one of the older kids, Antony, just stayed sitting on the beach looking at the fire.

I approached him, and asked him if he was alright. "God really loves me in spite of everything I have done?" he said. Wow. I was not expecting that question--especially not from him. Antony was the oldest and one of the most difficult to work with during the week, but the gears were obviously turning in his head. I sat down with him in front of the fire, and we stayed and continued talking late into the night. How awesome it is to be in a situation where I know that God is using me. Antony still has lots of questions, and I encouraged him to continue to ask and to continue to search for God. I know that as he begins to search, God will be faithful in answering. Pray for Antony and the other kids who are coming to Kawai all summer long. God is at work here in Peru!

I leave you with a few photos from the week. You can see all of them on my Flickr page.