day 1 - community vbs & sports camp

We were up early and the village by 9 am. We were so excited to get started. When we opened all the bags to get the equipment and supplies ready, we forgot how much we had brought. Just before 10 am we headed to the church. This would be our starting point each day, where we would sing songs, tell a story and do the crafts. As we approached the church there was a steady stream of children coming through the village gates. They started running toward us and greeted us with big hugs. (we hadn't even met them at this point) From this point forward they just wanted to be with us, hold our hands, play with our hair; anything to be by our side.

The vbs (vacation bible school) and sports camp were amazing! We had ~150 kids for the vbs and ~75-100 for the sports camp. These numbers far exceeded our expectations. The kids loved the activities; they loved relays (what kid doesn't?), hopping, sack races, ball & balloon games, tag, parachute games, etc. The pictures really show the joy on their faces. It was interesting to watch some of the children color. Some of the 4 & 5 year olds could barely hold a crayon. Something our children learn to do at such a young age. Most of the community children live in plots (will explain later) and likely have limited access to school supplies.

Sports camp was incredible! With so many children we had to be creative. We set up a volleyball court and had basketballs out for the b'ball court, and of course soccer, their favourite sport! There were many talented soccer players. The children remove their footwear before playing. It's incredible how hard they still shoot the ball in bare feet. Today we met Ever Mary and Margaret, two college/university students who have a huge heart for helping the children. They helped us with translatation. They were such a joy to have around!

What a day! The children did not want to leave the village at the end of the day; a sign of a successful day!

HIGHLIGHTS:
* Seeing the children run through the village gates with smiling faces
* You can't be measured by your financial wealth but rather by your spiritual wealth. You can have so little but have so much!

Below are pics of the activities from vbs