Summer Camp is the Funnest

Last week in Kono, we held our annual summer camp for children.  Including travel days, the camp was 8 days long.  Monday to Monday.  I'll be honest and say I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle 8 days in the provinces with a large group of children.  This instinct came from two places: 1. My love of small groups of children in small doses that have a start and end date after which time I go home and rest (notice how I made that positive... :-), 2. My exhaustion after the few trips I took to the provinces in the spring.

So I promised Olivia, the Conference Director of Children's Ministry, five days.  Monday to Friday.  As it turns out, I'm learning that those few trips in the spring threw me into culture shock.  I didn't realize it while it was happening.  I've since been out of Freetown a few times with no trouble.  In addition, I wasn't slated to chaperone the children overnight.  I slept at the Paramount Cheif's house, where I had my own private room.  So as we were saying goodbye on Friday morning, I was very sorry that I hadn't made other arrangements for my cats so that I could stay.  As it was, I figured they'd run out of food if we stayed any longer.

The camp was pretty much the same as what you'd see in the States, with a few alterations.  Here's what I captured with my camera for the week.  There was so so much more, but this'll give you a taste.

Three of us lectures and pastors making our way to Kono for camp. In the back seat are Rev. Josiah (Evangelism) and Rev. Conteh (Systematic Theology and Dean of Students).

Getting the truck ready for our march pass to open the camp. We love a march pass in Salone. Yes, those are speakers on top of the truck. And they’re powered by a generator that we take along inside the vehicle.

The kids were placed in one of four houses: Hannah, Joseph, Ruth, and Paul House. This was their team the whole week for all of the competitions. (More on that later.)

A view from the camp.

Another view from the camp.

Our chapel room.

Every day the students had multiple competitions. They had to clean the camp, present a drama, and in the evening there was a special competition that changed nightly. Revs. Josiah, Conteh and I were the judges for each competition, so as you can imagine, we became very popular. This photo was taken right before quiz night.

The other evening competition that we judged was speech night. The kids were given three minutes to make a speech, but they weren’t told what their topic would be until the moment they were to stand and speak. It was intense and they did so crazy well.

Even the preschoolers gave presentations. Notice the little girl on the mic. They lead singing on their own. It was amazing.

Extra points were awarded for extra work, so my truck got washed every day. In the picture, you can’t see it but it was sprinkling. Washing my truck in the rain. And they got their 9 extra points too.

The kitchen crew

A few evenings we had these little fried cakes and hot tea for our evening meal.

Delicious.

Since I came to Kono, I got to see my namesake. They traveled the hour along the bad road on motorcycle to see me. She’s growing.

Here she is with her mother, Grace. The jokes about little Katie’s parents also being my parents continue. My driver came up to greet little Katie by saying, “Hi, boss. She’s my boss you know.” And when her dad dropped by to see us at breakfast, someone said, “It looks like your dad is here, Katie.” So I guess I could say I have a beautiful mother (even though I’m pretty sure my mom is younger than me :-).

As we were visiting my namesake, a crowd of children formed. I get a lot of attention in Freetown. But it’s nothing like what I get in the provinces. I’ve found it’s quite a thrill for them if I take their picture. We took a series of them, but this one looks about like the view I saw every time I looked behind me. A clump of children whispering and giggling.

The camp kids also liked my camera phone. A lot. At one point they came and greeted me. I said hello and we chatted a bit. And then there was an awkward silence until one of them blurted out, “Selfie!”

Selfie!

This was the beginning of the obsession.

Trying to get a good jumping picture.

Second try.

This one was probably five or six in the series. I love their smiles.

The District Superintendent in Kono hosted us for breakfast every morning. A lot of the DS’s job is hospitality for visiting guests. This is one way the Sierra Leone (and I suspect all of Africa) is distinct. It’s taught me a lot about Biblical hospitality to see how it works in such a communal, relationship-driven culture. In this way, the DS’s wife is a big part of the ministry too. (I think the female DS’s end up doing all the work.) I’ve been fed well and welcomed so kindly both times coming to Kono.

These are the DS’s dogs…named “Believe in God” and “It is Well”.

The last day during our afternoon lull, I walked the surrounding neighborhood. I think I made friends with every person. Some called me over to show me how their child was hysterically afraid of me. Others asked for my friendship. One woman walked straight up to me about six inches from my face and said, “I’m Alice. What’s your name?” Others called after me from across the street. It was great fun.

These kids wanted a picture. And their hands were dyed red, they told me, from a local fruit. They tried to wipe some off onto my skin before I left them. And then they giggled and giggled.

This woman saw the photos I took of the kids and asked me to take her picture as well. She preferred to be by herself in the picture but other neighbors snuck in. Another woman asked for a selfie with me.

Etched into the side of this house it reads, “Moses loves Isatu". I guess some things are universal.

My driver, Navo, on the left (on his birthday) and my student Tamba Isaac on the right. (Tamba is the boy’s name for second born in Kono. I have three Tamba’s in my class at the school.)

The woman on the left led music several of the days and I just thought she was so good at it. I mentioned to her how impressed I was with her. On Friday she pointed out that her hair that day wasn’t so different than mine. I thought that called for a selfie. I love her.

I originally took this series of photos because I liked his shirt.  Little did I know that we would become probably the most connected by the end of the camp.  We became friends when I was sitting around waiting for the evening program to start.  I was playing a tetras-style game on my phone and a bunch of boys came to help.  Every time we'd get rid of a line, he said, "Uh-huh!  I like this game."  Afterward we came up with a handshake.  The shake consisted of ten repetitions of a hand movement, then a fist bump, then a fist touch to the heart.  He never did count the repetitions though so it was like the never-ending hand-shake.  Every time he saw me he would come running, even sometimes losing his place in line, to come do our handshake.  Christian is his name.  Mi padi.  Precious.

So next year it'll be the whole eight days.  I can't wait.