On this trip, Andrew and Hannah Stoner worked with Kenyan pastor, Pastor Bernard, who has a vision for reaching the unsaved youth in his country. His desire is to see the Kenyan youth come to know Christ and be discipled in their faith. His knowledge about the country and the challenges faced by many of the local youth is very insightful and helpful as he creates a plan for future ministry.
12 counselors and 7 pastors eagerly participated in the staff training. There were several different churches that partnered together to form a team to run camps in Kenya now and in the future. Some of these individuals have even participated in staff training with CampsAbroad in other locations. Their desire is to come alongside the local churches to make a successful team to work together in the future. Although timid at times, the staff was friendly, and they exuberantly worship in song. They exhibited a humble joy for the work that God has done in their hearts.
109 campers arrived from 14 different local churches. One group walked 7.5 hours to come to camp! How humbling and exciting to see their desire to attend camp. As they arrived, it seemed that there were several unsaved teens in the group.
Big ball was a huge success! The girls played hard, even though they were dressed up nicely. They may have even out competed the boys! The games during the week were played with passion and excitement. The blue team hit a winning streak, and the teens wanted to compete again next week.
After 4 years of drought, the living conditions for these teens have become very difficult. There are also some cultural influences that make life challenging for them. But despite the difficulty, the local churches were excited about camp. They supported the camp financially, with food, and by bringing their young people. Several of the pastors even stayed for the week to help with purchasing food and translating.
Over the course of the week, 7 young people professed faith in Christ! The week ended with great gratitude to the Lord for what He is doing in the hearts of these teens.
This camp desires to be self-sufficient, and they desire to take what they have been taught and teach others. The leadership seems to be doing a wonderful job taking what they have learned and applying it to future camps. Their local leader with be joining another CampsAbroad camp in Nyeri in April to continue his training.
It is with great gratitude that we give such a wonderful report from the time spent in Kenya. It is a joy to see God build His church around the world!