Camp Hauraruni

I arrived at Camp Haururani in style with my pterodactyl sheet and hot pink mosquito net. I planned to use my sarong as a top sheet but it had to suffice as my towel, which I had forgotten. Thus, my Gambian skirt doubled as my night time cover. Being a missionary has definitely made me more innovative...
More than 300 youth attended this camp/conference in Hauraruni (a bushy, sandy region about half an hour from Georgetown). Steve and I got to be counselors for a few of them. I had 3 great girls in my dorm. And this was some serious camp! Devotions were from 5am to 5:30 and some of the guys got up for exercises even before that! The dorm lights were controlled from the kitchen so our lights also came on at 3am when the kitchen ladies began preparing our 6:30 breakfast (mostly bread). I searched for a switch in our building but the other counselors said there wasn't one. My next idea was to wear dark eyeshadow to bed, thinking that would perhaps dim the brightness that burned through my eyelids every morning, but I hadn't brought any. Needless to say, sleep was neither lengthy nor undisturbed. But I love being with youth so I didn't mind enduring it.

There was preaching and workshops in the mornings and more preaching in the evenings. The worship was quite a work out, everybody out of their seats jumping and dancing – so much perspiration and not just 'cause we're close to the equator! And if there's a limit to how many times you can sing “wet wet wet, soak soak soak” (in reference to the Holy Spirit), I'm sure we crossed it in the first 10 minutes of the chorus every night. It was a blast and sometimes I just had to laugh...My frist four years of praise and worship experience were in a church where substituting a piano for the humble organ was too risqué for our revered hymns. Last week I found myself under a tent in the sand, being yanked into conga lines and getting pulled up front to jump around and dance. What a life! The evening services were, well, pretty wild – and I'll leave it at that.
Steve and I had the opportunity to do a skit and speak about the upcoming DTS and encourage the youth to “guard what God has entrusted to (them)” that week (2 Tim.1:14). Several of them were very interested in learning about God and missions in a discipling community. Of course with every brochure I handed out, I thought, “Oh my gosh, HOUSING!” We are praying for finances and help to continue building. God contiues to be faithful in this week by week, it's pretty amazing. And some local youth leaders want to bring people from their church to help with the work.

In other news at the youth camp, I tried my hand at Cricket and other field games and chased down 13-year-old Deshawn who told me I couldn't run. Of course, I only caught up with him because he fell in the tall grass but there were no rules that said he had to be standing. Besides, I didn't bruise my pinky toe for nothing.

The photo above is of Beno and I in the kitchen hammock. She is from Guyana and on staff with us in Parika and she was the one who coordinated the camp. Beno makes the best dahl and rhoti on the planet. Check out the "Pictures" link on the right for more photos of the camp!

“Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you...” 2 Timothy 1:6a

Thank you for your prayers. I am doing well. -eM