Colombia

Just thought I would give you all a quick update as camp is coming closer (just over a month now) and I also realized that dates have changed as well. We have a place rented, the buses are booked, we have all the speakers and other then a couple male staff, we are all ready to go.   However there may be one little kink.   The teachers here were on strike for two weeks and have just gone back to work, because of this there is talk of talking away the kids vacation in June and July, which just happens to be camp time.   They are talking of a couple way of making up for lost time, and this is just one of the ideas and nothing is certain yet so please be praying that this wouldn’t happen.   I think the most miraculous part of this whole ordeal is that I am not freaking out.   This comes as quiet a shock to me and I know that if this happened last year, I would have had a minor heart attack.   But I am completely calm and trust in my Father ...

So if I am being honest I am a little frustrated.   Camp is coming upon us and we still don’t have a place to have it.   The place we have used in the past we can’t use this year (because of what happened at the boys camp and kind of being cheated of food and not getting what we were promised or what we paid for), this unfortunately is quiet common.   Also the other places we looked at, normally just have one big room, three bunk beds high where you shove everyone into one room. This really takes away from the relationship part of the camp, which is huge and such an important part of Camp Gozo.   Building relationships in cabins is something that I place such a huge emphasis on and I am scared having all 30 kids in one room, will take away from that aspect.   I also really want to encourage the kids to make new friendships (that is why friends are split up) and this will be more difficult with everyone in one room.   Also some places don’t ...

When it’s been so long between blogs I always struggle with what to say, or what to share.   Sometimes it feels like so much has happened that I don’t even know where to start and sometime if feels like nothing has happened at all… I guess I will start with the boys camp that we had in November, which was forever ago I know, but I obviously procrastinated and haven’t shared how it went and when I was in Canada over Christmas a lot of you asked me about it. Well it was an adventure.   We only had about 12 boys, which  was a nice small group.   I was really tired and worn out by the time November rolled around, so it was perfect and a more relaxed camp, well for the most part…. I went ahead with three other staff, well that was the plan anyways, but the car we were in kept over heating and we kept having to pull over and wait on the side of the road for it to cool down.   So we got there a few hours after everyone else arrived.   I was ...

Camp was awesome.  We had 25 girls between the ages of 11-13 and it was really good.  I managed to drive my first time ever in Colombia and in Bogota (which is a lot harder then it seems).  We had an amazing staff.  Two of my older teen girls came to help me out and I was so proud of them.  I remember last October they didn’t even want to come to camp and now they can’t get enough.  They were ready and wiling to do anything that I needed help with and they didn’t with cheerful hearts (which a couple of years ago wouldn’t of been the case), and they were so awesome with the girls.  I couldn’t of been prouder then them. Camp is really close to me heart (I hope that’s obvious), but I just love seeing these girls smiling and laughing.   I love seeming them have pure, innocent fun (something that is so lacking in their lives), I even love seeing them cry, knowing that the walls they have built around their hearts are slowly starting ...

So once again I have waited way to long in between blog posts, I really don’t understand how so much time goes without writing.   Please feel free to write me and tell me it’s about time to update my blog. Last week I did have one mostly written ready to send out but I just didn’t feel it and as it turns out today is my 3 rd anniversary of being in Colombia so I thought I fitting that I can spend a little time reflecting on this wonderful journey God has brought me on. Some moments it seems like I have been here WAY longer than three years and in other moments I feel like I just got here a few months ago. It has been quiet a journey.    It has been three years full of laughter, full of tears and full of memories.   There has been more then once when I have been ready to throw in the towel, pack my bags and go back to Canada.   There have been times where I didn’t think it was possible for another tear to fall from my face.   There ha...

First of all I apologize that it has taken me so long to give an update.   Like my title says I have no idea where to start and I think that’s why I put it off.   The first Camp we did in October was almost perfect, pretty much as perfect as one could get on earth.   I think I needed that because I had a lot of anxiety with the first camp in October and I was really worried that everything would go wrong and it would be a big flat fail and all the praying and anticipation for the past two years would be all for nothing and as soon as Camp Gozo started, that it would be all over after just one week.   But it wasn’t like that, it was awesome, everything, from the weather to the staff to the activities, really everything. But this year it wasn’t perfect and I was a little discouraged if I am being honest.   The two days with the boys was a little discouraging.   They didn’t want to do anything; it was a fight to get them to participate i...

Just over 10 days till the first camp of  the year starts…. I am so excited and so thankful that as of yet I am not stressed out, last year at this time I was having minor panic attacks.  My list of things to do is getting smaller and smaller and I am so thankful for my team here who are taking some of my responsibilities so I have time to focus on getting camp stuff done.  I am thankful for a full staff, I was a little worried about having male staff for the boys camp but they all came through.  I am so excited for these kids and for the way that God is going to touch their hearts, I am so excited that they can come out and have fun and laugh and take a break break from their lives.  Walking around their neighbourhood just breaks my heart and I can't even imagine growing up where they live.  I am so excited, or feel so blessed to be part of what God is going to do in their lives and feeling so blessed that I can see just a glimpse of how much God loves the...