Girls Girls Girls (and Nico) !

Praying before we leave with the few parents who showed up

It was the girls turn.... packed bags, blanket and pillow, happy faces filled with excitement and we were ready to go.... Camping!! Eleven girls turned up aged between 6 and 11, and we had such a great time! It was another camping weekend offered by Lamalma. We were unsure how the girls, especially the little ones would cope with the ropes course and camping in their own tent, but off we went!

We followed the same programme from the last two camps with the teen boys and the younger boys, but the Project Farol who organises the ropes course had a few new things for the girls to try... including a zip line! The girls were so afraid and didn't want to do it, but despite their fear each of them stepped forward and descended screaming at the top of their lungs... then saying, "I want to go again!!" 

Crossing the rope bridge had a few tears and stopping in the middle, frozen in fear, but the guys leading the course had so much patience with the girls, reaching out to them, calming them down and encouraging them to continue! Each one completed the task! The overwhelming joy that surfaced among them was incredible, to see their little faces light up after completing each task!

A guy from the team reaching out to one of the girls frozen in the middle!

The guys explained that each one of us can conquer our fears we just have to trust in God! The girls really understood and as we went to do the forest trail to the waterfall on Sunday morning, one of them said, "I'm really scared, but I know I can trust in God to help me! Right?!" How amazing to see them growing in their faith.

Knowing girls, we knew they might not be as entertained with the football field as the boys! So we brought a box full of activities including games, art, bracelet making and books to read! The girls loved having the freedom in the afternoons to go from activity to activity, a dip in the freezing cold pool and then back to the activities!!

We were very thankful for the weather, for the last few weeks here in Brazil, it really has been cold with not much sun. So we were worried about the camp that it may be too cold for these little girls (never mind for us!!) But a few days before the camp it began to heat up again and during the camp we had temperatures of about 29C! Wow, God is so good!

It is incredible to see how God has been providing for us to have these camps, to take each time a small group with us to invest in our relationships with them, and to give them an unforgettable experience. Many of these kids have never even been out of the slum before! To watch their smiles and giggles and awe as they enjoy everything that is offered! For us to fill them up with happy moments and to share more about this Jesus who loves them so so much! We are so thankful to God for this.

PRAY with us: we really want to do a 'family camp' to take the families we work with away for a weekend! We talked about the possibility with the owner of this camp and she was very open to try. But this will be a lot of preparation as we work out financially if it will be possible! We believe we have this desire on our hearts because it is on the heart of God to work with the whole family and what an opportunity it would be!! Please join us in praying for an opportunity!

You can watch here the video of the camp