Day 5 - 7/4/18 - Sharing is Caring

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It's so crazy that we're already more than halfway through our camp! This week has been such a blessing so far. Despite it being my third year, I feel a certain aura around camp that I haven't felt before; a shared sense of joy, peace, and comfort. I'm so incredibly thankful for this year's team and the Taiwanese youth. There's a type of love that's unexplainable, one united in Christ, that you just feel so deeply and tacitly. Year after year we become more like family, strengthening this type of love that binds us all together despite the brevity and infrequency of our reunions. 

Reflecting on the day's activities, I think today can be summarized with the theme of sharing. Starting from the beginning of the day, Amy, Evangeline, and I broke bread together (literally) for breakfast and reflected on what we had talked about the night before about opening up to the kids. In the free time before camp started, two girls, Sophia and Zoey ran up to me asking to draw on my hand like we had done the day before. We took turns writing "Jesus loves you" on each of our hands, and then they began their mission of writing that message on as many people as possible. It's amazing how far a simple written reminder on the back of my hand went. Throughout the day I would catch the permanent ink out of the corner of my eye and be reminded of that fundamental yet life-changing truth. 

Kevin started off the day with an exciting "Guess the Number" game, which left the kids in fits of laughter as a few unfortunate ones had to do push-ups and funny punishments. Afterward, we transitioned into song time, which is the highlight of my every morning. Seeing the Taiwanese youth confidently leading the songs after practicing countless hours, and the kids jumping up and down, their voices ringing out shamelessly, just puts a constant smile on my face. It never fails to remind me what true worship looks like. 

Taiwanese Youth leading worship

Before the Taste of American Culture presentation, the six of us always go out to pray for the day and for the day's presenter. Adam taught on American Vacation Spots today, engaging the kids by having them act out hiking, canoeing, etc., and shared pictures from his previous family trips. He did a fantastic job of interacting with the kids and teaching them the vocab words! During this time one of the smallest kids in my group, Austin, had trouble following along and kept playing with his lanyard. Using that opportunity, I asked him what the beads on his lanyard meant, as we had begun teaching them the wordless book the day before. As I began sharing the gospel and a bit of my personal testimony, he started asking really good questions like "Why can't I just do good things and go to heaven?" Later in our end-of-day meeting, Jeremy also shared that his camper, Bryan, asked lots of questions about the permanence of our relationship with Christ, such as "If we believe in Jesus now but forget about Him later, are we still saved?" and "If the words on the back of our hands (from Sophia and Zoey) wash off, does Jesus still love us?" These one-on-one moments with the kids where we can share the Gospel are just so precious. PTL for their inquisitiveness and open hearts!

Bryan reading the Bible

Adam teaching Taste of American Culture

Playing Sharks and Minnows

In my English Lesson group, the sixth graders were exponentially more outgoing than the previous two days. They breezed through the review packet, verse memorization (1 John 1:9), and song practice (John 3:16 song), much to my surprise. What really made today's English Lesson memorable though, was how Kevin, an incredibly shy kid, started to come out of his shell. We were told that his parents wanted him to come to camp because he was addicted to his phone all the time at home, and that hopefully here he would participate in other activities. Our efforts to involve him in the activities were futile in the first two days, as he stubbornly stood in the back, kept his head down, and didn't talk. However, today once we started playing musical chairs, Kevin seemed to come to life. He made every effort to stay in the game once we started taking chairs away, and participated in saying the verse when he got out. His artistic talent was also revealed in the individual craft, as he shared his drawings of hikers and mountains. Please pray that he will feel more comfortable at camp and that we will be able to show him Christ's love! 

Amy and Joseph teaching John 3:16

 

Woody's vacation drawing 

Jon helping kids with review packets

1 John 1:9 verse memorization

After a fun magic trick presentation and our John 11:25 verse song, Joseph taught perhaps the funniest, most engaging bible story I have ever heard. His version of Abraham and Sarah had the kids and youth doubled over in laughter. Because everyone was so interested in the story, the message was clearly relayed and received. 

Our night ended with the annual tradition of going to the Night Market with the youth. A group of around 20 of us wandered through the bustling streets, taking turns buying Taiwanese delicacies. That's where the sharing comes back into play. As soon as one of us would buy something, we would offer bites to everyone in the group. Though we only ate a few bites and sipped a few sips of everything, we still ended up full. I think Adam put it best when he said, "I didn't eat that much at all, but just the feeling of sharing with everyone made me full." 

Group Picture

Jon, Peggy, and Joseph sharing fried chicken

Group Pic Pt 2

So that was Day 3! A day of sharing the Gospel, sharing food, and sharing memories with our beloved brothers and sisters. Thanks for reading:)

Prayer Requests:

- Greater urgency of the mission as the camp as the end draws near

- Genuine love for the children despite our tiredness 

- That God would work mightily in us and in the children