All-camp picture with camp t-shirts

We praise God for the third annual Christmas camp which took place Dec. 29-30 here in Kaffrine and which was a great success! I even heard a few kids who have attended all three years say that this year’s camp was the best!

Teaching time

After the camp was over five of us were praying together and we realized that God had answered all of our prayers for the camp that are visible! No children got sick or hurt, the power and water stayed on the whole time, the message of Jesus, the Light of the World, was clearly preached, and everything went very smoothly.

We trust that since the Lord answered our prayers about these visible things, He is also answering our prayers for those things which are invisible: that each child He wanted to come was there, and that seeds were planted which will bear fruit in time…. Thanks to all of you who prayed!

Small group time

It was especially encouraging to see the older students leading the small-group discussion times after each teaching session as it was obvious that the children clearly understood the message.

A highlight of the two days for us was during free time when a few of the camp counselors, teenage guys, spontaneously started drumming on the two djembes and singing Wolof praise choruses and a whole bunch of kids gathered around and joined in singing for a long time.

Free time = worship time

There were many activities which helped reinforce the theme of Jesus as the Light of the World: the kids made star decorations and got glow bracelets after dark, and of course, the camp t-shirts were bright yellow and had the words “Jesus is the Light of the World” on the front in Wolof and on the back in French.

(You can see more photos of the camp in my Facebook album “Kids’ Christmas Camp 2016” if we are Facebook friends.)

Camp t-shirt

The camp ended on Saturday afternoon, and I thought it was really sweet to see that on Sunday morning four of the children who come to church with us arrived wearing their yellow camp t-shirts! And in Sunday School when I handed out the Wolof New Testaments for the class to study a parable of Jesus, one of the girls immediately turned to John 8:12 and read out the camp verse!

Please pray for the children to remember the message about Jesus and to be drawn to His light!