Back from Camp Day 24

Jim Susie and I are back from Camp Lukenya. While I was at camp, they went to Nairobi for a doctor appointment. Jim found out some good news and bad news. The good news is his cancer has not grown. That’s wonderful!!! The bad news is he needs surgery due to post-operative scar tissue around his bladder and urethra. This could get very serious if he is not operated on right away. The doctor suggested that he go back to the states within a week or two to go through the surgery, unless he gets the surgery done in Nairobi. The surgery would be much safer to have done in the states. Right now they are gathering more information from doctors and are in the planning stages of getting the surgery scheduled. Please keep this in your prayers.

Camp Lukenya was great. There were 80-90 teenagers there. The teens came from school groups and church groups. The camp is set up with cabins and bunk beds in the cabins. Camp Lukenya had counselors for the teens, games, homemade food, church and devotional time. I helped out as a counselor during my time there.

The teens and counselors were split up equally to create two teams. Some games were active outdoor games, other games were indoors. There was a hike scheduled for everyone to climb a mountain. The teens loved that! From what I hear there was an amazing scene on top of the mountain. I went up part of the mountain; however, one of the girls was not feeling very well due to a medical issue. We climbed back down and waited for the group. She was such a sweet girl. I’m thankful for the time we spent together.

Once the group returned, we found out the bus that drove us there was broken down. The group started to walk back to the camp grounds. Since there were so many girls in the group, each counselor took a small group of girls to watch over as we crossed the road. My group of girls was walking next to me as we chatted and sang songs. Two of the girls started to argue. Their names are Mercy and Lillian. I could not tell what they were saying because most of this particular conversation was in Swahili.

Lillian stayed by my side as Mercy drifted off in the back after there dispute. I was concerned about Mercy because it seemed as if her feelings were hurt by something Lillian said. I went up to Mercy, held her hand and asked her if she was okay. She started to cry. The argument hurt her feelings. Mercy and I found a spot to sit once we came back to the camp. She poured her heart out. However, it was not about the argument, it was about her family life. She was crying and in a lot of pain due to her difficult situation. We hugged for a long time as I tried to comfort her dear heart.

Many of the girls there have come from a very rough background. The camp was good for them to learn about God and how He can help them through their problems. Honestly, I have no idea how they make it through without God. In addition to their problems, they have a lot of pressure to do well in school. They have to take a test to get into high school. If they do not pass, they can't get into high school. Some of the girls get so much pressure from their family to pass, they end up in a deep depression.

My time at camp was not only spent with wonderful teens, but also with the amazingly trained counselors. They are very good at their jobs. The counselors are trained to help these girls and they do a spectacular job helping and teaching the girls. One girl I met in particular is named Courtney. She is from the Birmingham in the states! YAY! We will be in touch. Courtney and I connected right away. We exchanged stories and had a great time getting to know each other. I am so thankful to have met her. She is a gem. Courtney has one of those personalities that shine from a million miles away. I’m excited to continue a friendship with her!