Heat

A big theme of camp has been heat. It's been hot everyday. We don't have a thermometer here but I'm told it has pushed 100 degrees each day. At night it only cools down to high 70's. Thankfully it is humid also. Actually, I think we are getting used to the heat but it does wear us out. Today we decided to take drastic action to cool everybody off. We built a massive slip n' slide. I assumed this was common in Russia but I think it was a new experience for the campers. Dan and Nicole had to demonstrate before they were willing to try it. After they started sliding it was non-stop laughter and smiles. I think they were just glad to cool off!

It morphed into an hour long water fight. I was swarmed by a group of young, Russian men who grabbed me and hauled me away. 30 years ago a story that started like this would end in the gulag. Now they just tossed me in a huge water trough. Samantha was next. Dirk and Nicole managed to sneak off. We were soaked but it was actually a good sign that they felt comfortable enough with us to pull us into the action. 

Nicole did a great job sharing her testimony last night. I'm sure she was nervous but she communicated clearly and naturally. We're praying that the Lord would use it in the lives of some young girls here. We continue to have good conversations with the tents during "snack time" after the evening meeting. Dirk and I spent some time with a group of young men who wanted to know about American cars, cell phones, and how we met God. The conversation flowed between those three unrelated topics.

We've reached the half way point for camp. In some ways it has gone fast. The days are so full that they are gone before we realize it. In some ways it seems like we have already been here for a long time and the thought of having 5 more days of camp makes me tired just to write about. We need endurance and sustaining grace.