Hope Center III

Rain surprised us by coming a day early on Thursday but that didn't bother Team Three here at Hope Center. We had activities planned and camp went on as well or better than usual. The morning was dry and we had our Bible lesson based on the fruit of the Spirit today focusing on Goodness and Gentleness. Then we went down to the sea for a time of fun and relationship building. As we were returning to Hope Center from the sea the rain broke and we just made it to the dining hall in time for another great meal. The cooks do such a tremendous job of preparing delicious food and always have a smile on their faces.

During the summer there are about 100 volunteers from Ukraine who come and give their time to make Hope Center work.
We are blessed to have David from Minnesota as a part of our team this year. He is an award winning photographer and is taking thousands of pictures and tons of video to chronicle a camp at Hope Center. As you might expect, he often has groups of kids hanging around him looking at what he has done and who he has captured. He is known to all the staff and many kids as "the father of Naomi".





"Happiness is sitting next to someone who loves you" could describe many of the children we are privileged to have here this week.















The highlight of the evening is always the bedtime stories and prayers. We see the children reading their Bibles during the day and then following along as we tell or read a story from the Bible at night. As we quiz them on the lesson of the day, they come up with answers that fit, and questions that show that they are thinking about what they have learned. The last thing we do before they go to sleep is pray together. As we leave their rooms, we may "high five" them but many will pull us back to them for a big hug.

Tune in tomorrow to see what exciting things will happen at Hope Center.