Today we served breakfast to the kids once again, but forming an assembly line. All the food has been very good so far. The first day we got to try the local food but then the rest of the food was fairly familiar to us. I was surprised to find that I loved sudza, a starch like dough that you eat with meat, sauce and greens. A few of the nights I was able to get more since we fed it to the kids. One of my favorite dishes she made am was a salad that had pineapple, red onion, and bell pepper with a chutney sauce.
I was in charge of leading today’s story/ lesson and I was quite nervous before hand, but it turned out really good. We acted the story while I narrated. In the discussions we asked the kids what their favorite part of camp was so far and a lot of them said the stories. Which was encouraging because it showed they were listening to us and getting something out of it. The games were really fun as well today. We did a lot of relay race games and it was super funny to watch the kids. One game they had to blow up and try to pop a balloon by sitting on it which made us all laugh. The craft today was a picture frame the kids got to make and keep with a photo of themselves in it. They all loved it.
During free time I spent time learning Shona words with the kids and teaching them some English. We also shared dance moves and I got even the shy ones to dance with me. Later I learned some hand games and then we taught them “down by the bank” which they all loved playing. At one point the kids stared filling buckets with water and had a water fight. I got caught in the middle and the the kids wanted to get their “Auntie Teagan”. I tried to fight back but there were too many after me. After that Farnum and I played volleyball with the kids and taught them how to hit the ball properly.
For our closing story Farnum ended the night with a story about a boy and his boat that he made. He tied this story into how God made us and then paid again with Jesus’s death on the cross. Then we closed in a team huddle and prayer.
After the kids went to bed we ended with our usual leader meeting with the local team and Jessup team. It has been really fun becoming true friends with them as well. For Myrna’s birthday today they surprised us with a delicious chocolate blackberry cake. We all agreed the cake was one of the best we tasted, as it was super light and airy and not too sweet. They then sang happy birthday in English, did the song and dance they do for birthdays here, and Alyssa sang to her in Spanish. I thought it was a very cool moment to have her birthday celebrated in three different languges.
Overall our time here has been super fun and I have loved getting close to the kids. Today was the first day they ran up and hugged me when they saw me. Often times hugs are saved for people you are very close to in this culture so that made me really happy. Near the end of the day it stared to hit me how our time with the kids is almost over. After tomorrow we will get a whole new group of kids which is bitter sweet. I have grown to love these kids so much in just 3 short days so it shows how much more God loves them. Today it hit me how hard it will be for these kids again after this camp when they will have to go back to eating only one meal a day if they are lucky. It hurts to think of these kids we now know and love struggling in ways we can’t imagine. So this is a reminder to be praying not only for the team here in Africa, but also for the kids and their lives after we are gone.
Specific prayer requests for our team would be:
– Olivia: who had been feeling really tired and has had trouble sleeping
– Teagan: I am feeling much better but still have a sore throat and am loosing my voice
– Holly: who is starting to feel homesick
– The whole team: to be able to rest and serve well and to stay healthy. It is the winter season here so many kids have colds, making some of us nervous we will get sick.
– Teagan, on behalf of the Jessup team 🙂
