Still trying to make up for lost time following the post-election violence, the students in Nyanza Province had only a brief break and so the camp was reduced by a few days. However, what was lacking in the number of days was made up for in content!
The Camp was once again held at Kanga Boys' High School where we were allowed the use of a large classroom, the dinning hall, the sports field and the bottom floor of the recently completed new dormitory.
The first day of Camp opened with William teaching foundational beliefs and principles of our Christian faith in a session called "Who we are in Christ".
He emphasized that a true understanding of our spiritual identity is needed for the young people to know:
1) who they are
2) what their purpose in life is, and
3) their individual value and significance in the eyes of God.
Following the session, we heard a wonderful testimony from George Owallo, who said that attending last December Camp facilitated a change in his life and that he wanted to give his life to Christ!
What a joy it was to pray with George Owallo and Collins Okoth as they surrendered their lives to Jesus!
I then spoke to the students about Self-Esteem.
Closely related to the session on knowing "Who we are in Christ", a healthy self-esteem is essential to help young people (and adults) withstand peer pressure and temptations and deal effectively with emotional issues.To help students understand how self-esteem is formed, I used a visual demonstration with different colored bags representing the 4 types of relationship that influence and mold our opinion of "self", starting from birth into adulthood. These relationships impact both our social & emotional development. Emphasizing that it is only through a relationship with God that we can have a true understanding of our value and self worth, I encouraged them to seek significance in Him and went on to give some practical suggestions for developing and maintaining a healthy self-esteem.
With extended day time sessions, we still scheduled ample time for Praise & Worship, sports and evening sessions that included group workshops, presentations and riddles.
These kids really enjoy singing and dancing!
They also loved the time spent in small group workshops discussing the "Question of the day"!
Rachel Vineyard, a student of Lipscomb University in the US who spent her summer working with CML, spoke about "Relationships", "Peer Pressure" and "Media".
Being a college student herself, she experiences similar moral dilemmas and pressures, so she enjoyed sharing with the students what she has learned about saying "no" to peer & relationship pressures.Even though she attended the Camp as a facilitator, she was quick to add that she also learned a lot and was grateful for how the students taught her about the unique cultural dilemmas that often challenge them as young Christians. Like the students, Rachel didn't want the Camp to end...she was having so much fun!
Additional sessions included Academic Excellence, Sexual Purity, Music, Career Choice & Development and Life Purpose.
There was also opportunity for students' to share personal testimonies.
Some, like Elisha, gave testimonies about how far God has brought them. Others such as Seth and Rebecca, spoke on Christian Leadership and benefits of drinking adequate water respectively.
Seth, Rebecca and Elisha are just three of the six CML Scholarship recipients that attended the Camp. Also in attendance were Collins, Tilly, Baraka and Maureen. All these seven students expressed their gratitude to God and the American sponsors who have been instrumental in making it possible for their education to continue this year.
We were also encouraged by a powerful message given during Monday morning devotions by Fredrick Kweto. This was Fredrick's first time to attend CML Camp but he testified having witnessed the impact that God has had in the life of his friend Seth through CML. He went on to encourage his fellow students to "not grow weary" in following Christ, realizing that they are on the "narrow path" and may find themselves standing alone for what is right. He echoed the comments given by Seth when talking about Christan Leadership, encouraging us all to keep our focus on Christ and not those around us as we seek to know which direction to take in any given situation.
I feel it is noteworthy to mention that these young men were instrumental in diverting a student strike during this last school term, saving destruction of school property and probably even lives.
We thank God for what He is doing in the lives
of these young men and women, and we continue to believe that as transformation occurs first within each individual, they will then "go forward" and impact those around them!The camp was also specially graced by the presence of three of the teachers that partner with CML in the area. These were Mr. George Kienga Odeka- CU Patron of Kokuro High School, Mrs. Syprine Ogada- CU Patron of Owiro Akoko Girls' Secondary School and Mrs. Susan Adhiambo Owino- a teacher at Koyier Primary School.
Teacher Susan blessed us all in one of the morning devotions with a message from Jeremiah 1: 4-8. - "We serve the God of plan and purpose". She encouraged us to emulate our God by planning and having purpose and goals in everything we do. She also encouraged us never to be afraid while doing whatever God has commissioned us to do, including sharing the gospel with others.
In his address to the students during a session on Academic Excellence, Teacher George inspired us all with a story of personal triumph through perseverance. He also blessed us with the youngest student yet to attend a CML Camp.....his daughter Brenda. Brenda is nine years old and is in primary class 3.
Pictured here with her new friend Rebecca, Brenda kept up with the older students and enjoyed herself thoroughly. When asked how she liked the Camp she said, "the studies were interesting and I learned so many things".
And of course there was some really good food!
The students never fail to comment on how much they like the mandatory attendance for chow! In the photo is beef stew with ugali, potatoes and 'sukuma wiki'( a kind of green vegetable very common in Kenya)...and yes we use our hands to eat!As it often happens following a Students' Camp or other ministry event, many of the students want "more". In the absence of a local youth facility, William's small Kitere home has become an impromptu "Youth Resource Center", providing young people with a safe place to socialize, play sports and have small group study/discussions.
Slowly we are accumulating books by authors such as CS Lewis, Watchman Nee and Bonhoeffer that we can "loan" and are also providing access to Bible Study materials and resources like the Strong's Bible Concordance.
Even more important than providing access to written materials, we find this a special time for one-on-one mentoring. So many of the youth have no adult that they can speak freely with or go to for guidance. We thank God for the opportunity He has given us to minister into their lives.
In closing, we want to thank all of our ministry partners that helped make the August Camp a success. Those that prayed for us, those that volunteered and provided hands-on help and those that gave financially. A special thanks goes out to the Women on Missions at Rocky Point Baptist Church, Kanga Boys' High School, Caroline Harris, Donna Smyth (my mom), Rachel and to the ladies from GCM Kitere Church.
Thank you and may the Lord continue to bless you!
Denise Davenport,
for CML.
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