Besplatan sladoled.

Who knew that one camp could be so remarkably different from the others. I thought I saw this with MK camp one and two...but I had no idea. Even the makeup of camp was different. There were less kids, only 19, and we did not have our typical sports. Never fear... I still led canoeing. But sadly I will not next week. I had my last day canoeing and no one even told me! 

I can be honest that this week was harder for me than the others. I had my added responsibility of being head girls trainer along with being a counselor. I also found that my campers needed extra attention and were struggling with a lot.

MY ROOM

Camp this week really was so different. There were only 4 girls in my room this week and there was only one kid in the whole camp that was a native English speaker. Technically this was called international camp, but all the kids were Croatian, save the one American. (Luckily she was in my room). I also had one girl who is Croatian but her father is an American. She lives in Croatia but her English was very good. This was contrasted by my two sweet girls who had a pretty basic level of English. One of the hardest things to deal with when translating is that you don't know if then point you are trying to make is actually getting across. Bible study certainly was made more difficult through this.  I had a counselor helper in my room and as head girls trainer I was her mentor. She proved incredibly helpful because she could translate while staying on topic. 

This week had its share of challenges and my room required a lot of energy. A lot of tears and a lot of prayer and conversation. My biggest prayer this week was that it was all genuine. I want these girls to know God for who He is outside of camp. I thank God for the peace that comes with knowing He goes with them from this place when I can't. He has begun a good work and will complete it. 

The kids this week were so awesome. They were very different and a little bit crazier but they were actually just so cool. The one help that the language barrier gives is that if conversation is lacking you can just ask how to say something. Like I said last time, they just love to laugh at our pronunciation. My rule of thumb is that they have to tell me what their phrase means before I say it. That's a piece of wisdom right there. 

SCHEDULE CHANGE 

This week was unlike the others in the fact that I had some down time! We had rotations throughout the day of English, archery, and a craft. I was not assigned to any and I got the time for myself. That just simply never happens. It gave me time to really be away from everything and regroup and actually get to talk a lot to God. This was one of the huge little blessings that God gave me because I had much more stress this week and I needed that time to be with Him and to relax some at the beginning of the week. However, the last two days I was summoned for craft help. But this was far from the coloring or cut and paste of normal VBS crafts (we used a VBS for this camp because of the simple English). For this camp, we made full blown catapults. Ya, it was kind of cool. 

You wear many hats as the staff of a small camp. This week I became expert catapult threader knot tying person...still led games...head girls trainer...counselor...canoe leader...and one day even spelunking leader. That day was pretty fun. The cave we took some campers into was not nearly as crazy awesome as the one from last week. This one was very small and there was a good deal of crawling and scraping the edge. Claustrophobia was actually not a problem because it is so cool temperature wise in the caves. If the air was stuffy I would have been much more concerned. Instead I was able to crawl and squeeze and scurry about. At one point we needed to make extra room so I ended up climbing up and up in the the ceiling of the cave. Those things go on forever. I was selected because I was the only girl willing to go into the cave at all. While our director's son led the expedition because of his great cave knowledge, I was the oldest and only staff member. Sometimes I don't know how I rope myself into these things. 

This camp was one day shorter than the last two which I know the campers didn't love. They wanted to stay here forever. The last day we actually did a program for the kids and their parents. Some of these parents do not know God and since they get to see a little of what their kids did at camp, they can then ask more specific questions... And hopefully end up with the gospel. Some of our kids performed a song and dance to "How great is our God" and we did our skit again that I posted earlier. We had a chance to honor some of the achievements from the kids in front of their parents. I've never seen a camp end like that, but it was pretty neat. 

DRAMAS

We did a number of dramas this week. The staff performed one each night as a visual. These are especially helpful in the case that the kids don't speak English well. Visuals are helpful anyway but when language is a barrier then they are even weightier. We did a few familiar ones like the "everything" skit. This shows how we put so many distractions in front of God yet He saves us and forgives us.  We did one showing how we must not wear masks. God loves us for who we are and who He has made us to be. The       first drama that we actually got to perform for the parents was called bring me to life. It showed both the fall and then Jesus dying for us. We recorded it so tada tada you can watch us!  http://youtu.be/UYpOhJ7EvIQ

RANDOMNESS

One of my favorite little moments from this camp is a video that I may post later. A friend working at a camp in NC donated a song to me and I have been able to song it every week to the kids. One guy in particular decided he adored the song and sang it everywhere all the time. There is a little sound bite ingrained in our heads of this voice starting out "I've got JOY". It took til the last day for him to actually get all the words right, but he was singing it up until he got into the car to go home. Again, hopefully a video will make its way on here some day! 

Games went a little different than the last two times. I still led them but not everything translated. It was so so hard to see who was talking out of disrespect and who was translating for someone else. We also had one camper with a disability and adapted some of the games so that they could play. That was actually so awesome to see. The kids didn't love it, but they got used to the new rules and embraced it totally. And it brought the one camper so much joy to be involved. We did not have our typical messy games...except pie jousting. I am certain that I am a magnet for whipped cream. Every time that it is out, it ends up in my hair and on my face. This time we had three extra pies (first mistake) and two of them ended up all over Emily. Oh well...... But really, if there is whipped cream...I need to run away. 

CULTURE DAYS

Each day we had a different country as our theme. We started with Canada, then to Poland, and then I led Kenya and "southern USA day". We had staff from Canada and Poland so they were able to give us fun info. Kenya day was so fun and super cool for me. It was so neat to be reminiscing about the trip I took last summer to Kenya. That was an amazing trip where I saw so much of God and then here in Croatia I was reminded. What made it even better was that some of my friends and future roommates for next year were on the same trip to Kenya during this time! It was all a really neat experience.  I taught the kids how to say hello (jambo) and praise The Lord (bwana asa fiwe). Then I showed them some clips from our Kenya trip last year. That was wonderful for me to get to watch that video here. It brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of some of the awesome things God taught me there. 

Southern USA day was not quite so...special? Touching? It was fun though! We had a few Americans here but I was the only one from the south! I got to teach them the proper English. We used words like reckon and yonder and TUMP and y'all of course. In the morning I taught them how to have a southern conversation:

"Hey y'all"

"Where's my sweet tea?"

"Over yonder I reckon"

"Thankee kindly"

...I had that conversation more times than I could count. But a southern accent coated in a Croatian accent is probably something ill never get to experience again. It was precious. 

DOWN TIME

It was such a bummer to have to say bye to some of the staff. This camp is unlike others in that there is not a set staff. It changes week to week. This does add another level of difficulty because there is a new group dynamic every week that you must adapt to. We took two of the guys to a bus station but ended up grabbing some ice cream which gave us a little more time together. The ice cream shop was too fun not to write about...it was sweets and a show. Hopefully I'll be able to put up some pictures at some point but this is a good idea. 

Over this rest time we got to go to a beautiful spring and have lunch on the water. We also took a hike along it and it really was amazing. This rest day ended with palačinke and sladoled! (Croatian Pancakes and ice cream) that was pretty exciting! It was a free for all and a really relaxed way to...well to have ice cream for dinner! Now we have a new day with one new staff member and we have to regroup once again to prepare for this final camp. 

It's crazy to think that today marks  one week left here. It is beautiful and amazing and has so many wonderful opportunities. I am going into this week nervous for the drastically different atmosphere which sometimes makes it hard to get up the enthusiasm for this week. But I have found so much comfort in the lesson God has been teaching me ever since the very first week...I have a purpose. I have a purpose here and there is a reason that I am still here. I am supposed to be staying at this one last camp while so many others have come and gone. I am supposed to be the only American left. How great is it that God is our only ljubav, mir, i radost. (Love, peace, and joy). 

Pray for us this week please oh please:

- once again a new group dynamic must form and work together. This is the most foreign group yet (figuratively and literally) so we truly need understanding amongst each other. 

-we only have 11 campers this week. But really 11. Wow. And 2 girls! The trouble is that we have 2 girl campers and 5 girls counselors...and then 9 boy campers and no male counselors. So this will be interesting. Ya that needs prayer...

---change...we now have 10 campers.-----

-I am once again head girls trainer. I will be in charge of women at least 6 years older than me. It's a little intimidating but oh well. 

- I will be speaking to the camp this week in our group meeting. Maybe even twice...not sure.  It will be translated I THINK but again, I don't really know.  I have not spoken to this age group and we will see how it goes... Pray that God will give me what I need to say. 

- we have a new schedule somewhat once again with this younger age group. Few of us feel that this is a strong suit for us so we will need extra energy and understanding. Apparently I will be very involved in leading sports this week which is funny...we will see how that goes. And I am still to lead games but they are going to be absolutely different from the last weeks! I don't know what to do with that. But it means no whipped cream in my hair for once. 

-I want my voice all the way back. Its just not all there and I need it!!! 

-last week here in Croatia...last week at DPB house. I have loved it and want to continue to devote everything I have to this ministry. For that reason I am praying for renewed strength and the reminder that it is not about me. This week may be hard but I can not be discouraged because this is how God wants it! So I say ok! Lets go into one more camp and I want to leave everything I have here. Mom...dad...don't except a voice from me when I get home and that's fine by me. Turn up the rocky music and let's do this thing!!!! 

Still at it part 2

So my last post just wasn't working so this is just a continuation!
-prayer: this is an international camp...that is worlds apart from MK camp. Some of these kids really will have never heard the gospel before. It will also be a totally new challenge to have non-native English speakers. I worry about relating and understanding and getting to express ourselves in a total way. It's going to be unlike anything I've done yet and I need God to relieve any anxiety. He has been showing me a lot about peace in His word and that is not by accident. We need to pray for understanding and bridging cultural boundaries.
- I continually need energy! Please join in praying that for me and the rest of my team.

Campers arrive in just a few hours and I could probably go on for pages and pages about funny stories or the staff or anything other piece. If you have any specific questions you'd like me to talk about I'd love to explain any crazy thing that I'm doing here in Croatia!!!!!
Some of Girls staff:





The coast!

Still at it

Who would have thought I'd be ending my third week in Croatia. It's normal now... But at the same time I'm still stunned everyday that God has put me here. Right here.
This week I had older campers than last time, around sophomore age mostly. These kids were so fun and so easy to relate with. The funny thing was that there were way more boys than girls, whereas last week that was switched. Tons of boys at an active camp make things very interesting. But it also helps us to see some great men of faith stretching themselves and putting themselves in leadership. It is always encouraging to see guys step up and be leaders in their faith.

THE FOOD
I may have said this once before but the food is just so wonderful. One of the funniest things is going to the little store in town where we can buy fun goodies. I never know what half the stuff is, but that's all part of the experiment I suppose! We eat a lot of thick soups and stews...lots of pork...sometimes chicken....but without a doubt we always eat bread. Buckets and buckets of bread. For breakfast there is bread (complete with turkey/pepperoni/salami/cheese to top it with). Apparently that's very Balkan.  For lunch there is bread to dip in our soups. For dinner there is bread, just because. I've probably had about a million loaves of bread since being here. Oops.
Snacks are fun too. We walk into town with the kids and get to stock up or have bijela kava at the cafe. (Kava=coffee. Bijela=....?) but just about everything I've tried has been good. And I've tried everything!

THE ACCOMODATIONS
Herein lies one of the biggest blessings. Blessings can be very very small. I thank God for the blue room where I have gotten to stay. I have had the same bed for 3 weeks now and will be going on to 4 for next camp. Normally people move back and forth and your room changes and its a continuous change. I can deal with the hustle and bustle but it is such a huge help I have my own little space. It makes me feel that there is something familiar to me amidst all the constant changing. I even have my own corner where I can live out of my suitcase in peace.  I even can put pictures and notes in the slats above my head since I am on a bottom bunk. It's not a perfect system but I am thankful for my bed every day.

THE REST TIME
Rest time comes in two forms. For starters, there is an hour of "chamber cleaning and rest time". We have to clean up our room in preparation for judging. But a clean room is not enough to win the victors chalice of candy...typically there is decoration or a skit involved. As days go on the competition gets heavier. For my first week of camp my 11/12 year olds were very involved. And there were bonus points if you could tie in the theme into the decorations/skit. We had damsels in distress be saved by the armor of God...Paul's workshop...and the girls even wrote a song about the armor of God. The second week we had a court room to recognize the belt of truth...a jousting tournament for the shield of faith...and the Fourth of July saw a Statue of Liberty suited in the full armor of God. (If only that was a reality). I had special guest roles on some of these skits. One time I was a dragon that roared behind a curtain. One time I was a bat that hung upside down from my bunk and screeched. Once I was an evil knight. And once I was asleep. Luckily my second week of 14/15 year olds were a little bit more in favor of the rest part.
Camp is an all day long thing...sometimes a break is nice. It comes in the form or an hour during the week, but after camps we have 48 hours with no campers. The first in between days were filled with napping and a personal favorite...cookie coffee time! Croatia has a very sharing type culture and when you buy a bag of cookies, you all go sit and eat the bag of cookies. With coffee of course. I have never had so much coffee in my life. I can't tell a difference in taste...I don't have a formula for my perfect cup...but it's there so I drink it. Call it mob mentality but when everyone is sitting around with a cup it just makes for happy times.

HOW CAMP WORKS
Just for an idea of scheduling. The days go by fast but so much is packed into every day it's a wonder that we make it through. Every morning we have breakfast with the whole camp after a meeting of program staff. This calls for 7am mornings everyday. (Usually earlier with the rising sun, birds and birds and birds, and the 12 yr olds that got up at 6). We have staff devotions where we can get our focus for the day and pray over camp and each other. The small group devotion time I mentioned in my last blog happens in the morning and it is really cool to work with the girls and get them to seriously think about what they are reading. This past week I had a co-counselor which added a new aspect, but it was great to have her input. We immediately go to our various activities and the
campers switch each day where they go. The rotation includes archery, volleyball, hiking, rock climbing, and canoeing!!!! I was official canoe leader which means I get to carry the watergun. It's a
lot of work to do it everyday with the set up and tear down, but if I had to choose again I'd stick
with my river. We always come straight back and have to go to lunch, normally still wet. That is not my favorite... Our clean up/ rest time comes after lunch and then there is free time! The DPB house has a very relational model. We have so much free time and few people so we can build relationships with each other rather than always having an activity. It definitely has given us great time for conversations and walks and various things. There is always a ping-pong or volleyball game going on and you will always find kids on the swings. (Because those are kind of the only options). Snack time is one of the best times in the whole day and the entire staff will agree. We love snack. And I love big games! They are fun to lead and sometimes it's fun to be on the sidelines. I am in a constant state of playing so I suppose I don't miss out too much :) we complete the day with dinner and our group meeting and that's a full day! I don't know if anyone would want that much detail but there it is!
It is a total blessing becuase there are two camps basically running simultaneously. One is the regular camp and the other is the CREW. (Not to be confused with CRU which I often have trouble with). They are high schoolers that have been specifically chosen to begin leadership training and be stretched. They stay for 2 weeks and serve. It really is service too. They clean the grounds and the common areas and bathrooms. They are the gophers that run around and retrieve everything. They serve in so many ways and have their own devotional times as well. It is an awesome program and I have seen so much growth just in those kids. It is a mix of nationalities and they have many activities that promotes unity and leadership and it may be a simultaneous camp, but we are on the same team.

MY WORDS
So I may not be fluent in Croatian yet, but I'm picking up a couple of things! I love to find random words to learn. I have very few, but at least I always know when someone is talking about ice cream. That's important! I have even learned some great phrases. "Free ice cream, just for me"..."how much is the sour cabbage?"..."my kangaroo is yellow."  Real conversation starters right there. I attempt whatever I can with my Croatian friends but its a little daunting. I can order coffee! I can say dog, cat,  mouse, and bat with confidence. This even earned me the nickname of miš. I love to practice and the Croatians like to laugh at me, so I guess it's a win win!

ADVENTURES
We found one of the most amazing caves ever! I have never been spelunking before and represented as the only girl on our expedition. We had to crawl through mud and in some tight spaces, but it was massive massive cave. There was still so much that we were unable to explore. We met a river, cave shrimp, and mineral deposits. I have never seen anything like it and it just goes to show another amazing part of God's creation.
We were also able to take a break and head down to the Croatian coast for the day on Saturday. We went to Crikvenica (pronounced tsrik-ven-eat-sa). I have never been to a beach that was all rocks that had trees growing right on the shore! It was so funny to hang out on rocks all day when I am used to sand. I must say that the trees were nice shade though. The day started out cloudy but definitely warmed up. And we swam in the salty salty Adriatic Sea! It wasn't even too cold. We even played settlers of catan on the beach. (I won as well :) ). The coast was pretty touristy but still so cool and beautiful. We basically drove down a mountain to get to it so there were some amazing views.  We went to a cafe where I had a "ledona kava" which should mean "super awesomeness". I'm pretty sure it doesn't though. It was just ice cream and coffee and the best whipped cream ever. I was a big fan. I got to walk up and down and look in all the shops and it was just a cool area. Food wise was wonderful bread from a bakery and a slavonian pizza. Apparently it had egg on it. But whatever it was, it was so so good. Yay for good food.

PRAISES AND PRAYERS
-we want to continue to thank God everyday that this camp is open. It is only because He wants us here. I do not have all the details, but I know that this camp should have closed its doors at the end of 2012 but everything has been remedied and we are up to code and this is a total blessings from God. His work is being done in this place.
-God is doing great things in some of these kids' lives. Our first week we saw the utter transformation of one girl which was a result of accepting Christ! Seeing her the first 4 days and the change afterwards was night and day. It was incredie because it wasn't even a staff member that spoke with her, but another camper that recognized the need and ministered to her through the week. That was
amazing to watch and such a blessing.
-these past two weeks have been so successful and some of the easiest camps. I am blown away at the way God had met so many of the kids at this place. I have had the opportunity to pray with some of
them and for them and have made some very cool connections that only come through the Gospel.
-----prayers-----
- even in the 2/3 days it has taken me to write this post things have changed. The blue room that I loved so dearly (and my wonderful bed) is no more. So now I guess I have to herr on the green room. God likes to do that I guess. As soon as we cling to something too tightly it is taken away. Now for this camp I may be in the same general place, but it is still technically unfamiliar territory. But I get the chance to experience God with kids in a "new" place! With a green floor!
-another huge change that happened only yesterday was a sort of promotion. I have been named head girls trainer for this camp. I knew god wanted me to take this position as soon as I heard it because God wants to stretch me. Being a counselor came very easily to me and I was content to let someone else hold the greater responsibility. However, I do need to stretch myself and grow as a leader. I need pray in this because I still do not know all the duties that this position holds. I basically take care of our girl counselors and check up on them and pray with them. I am the eyes and ears for our program director with everything that goes on with the girls, both campers and staff. I will be the next step on the ladder of authority and therefore may have to be the final say in conflict or address it when it is too severe for counselors. I ALSO will be mentoring our girls counselor helper which is exciting but strange since I've only been a counselor myself for 2 weeks. Finally, and one of the hardest things to grasp, is that I will be on charge of counselors who are all older than me.  There is a 24 yr old and a 33 yr old and I am "the boss". All this being said, it is a much greater responsibility and I pray for peace and for wisdom to do this job well. It is a great honor to have been invited to this position because it means that my director has seen good things in me. This is so encouraging, yet still daunting.
- please pray for my health. The first week I had am awful cold...this past week I lost my voice. My health is an way target for spiritual warfare because of how it wipes me out, but I have learned evening this trip that it is something that I need to be in prayer for and SHOULD be on prayer for because  God is the healer.