Shields of Armor
Today was our fourth day of Kid’s Bible Camp and one of the most exciting by far! Our Americans and Zambian staff help walk the kids through the compound to camp everyday and it is quite an experience! Sometimes you are jumping over ditches, dodging cars, and trying to keep up with very excited kids who want to RUN to camp!
Today’s lesson focused on trusting in God and using Him as your armor when you are afraid. After reciting memory verses for prizes and getting some free play time, the kids created “shields of armor” by decorating poster cutouts with drawings of family members, favorite sports and important memories. After the “shield of armor” winner was chosen, camp really got crazy as the kids turned their American leaders into warriors with 75 pounds of aluminum foil!
The team whose leader won got their first exposure to whoopee cushions, which was entertaining to say the least. We cannot believe that tomorrow is the last day of kid’s camp, but we are incredibly excited to reveal all of our surprises to the kids! Leave it to Arise Africa to introduce Zambian children to sour patch kids, fake snakes and Jesus!
After kid’s camp, half of the team headed back to visit Cheshire House, a school and home for disabled children in Lusaka. It was heart warming to be greeted by children who remembered us from last week as well as meeting some new kids. Peter, who was new to us, was a precious 5-year-old who had lost both of his legs in an accident. It would be easy to just give up and stay put in your wheel chair without legs, but Peter didn’t let his disability stop him for a second. He was moving fast through the playground playing with the kickball and frisbee! It is so easy for us to take our blessings in life for granted, but seeing a kid like Peter quickly changes your perspective for the better.
The other half of our group headed to visit Destiny School and Buseco Market, which is a horribly impoverished lumber yard neighborhood where families pushing ten live under nothing more than a plastic tarp. The team visited a mother of three of Arise Africa’s sponsored kids who has always been incredibly welcoming of us and accepts us into her home graciously. The experience was eye opening, and it was important to come to the realization that people with so little can still have so much joy.
Tonight we took a pause break from our Nertz card game championship,
(Major card playing happening every single night!)
and went to see some of our Zambian leaders sing in a concert at the Lusaka Baptist Church. Chaweeze and Lillian were so excited that their Musungu friends showed up to support them! Tomorrow we are waking up early to set up our jumping castles and obstacle courses, so we will update more later!
Tizonana milo,
Carly