Our week at Kalamos was everything we thought it would be: dirt, water attacks, and lots of fun! We didn't anticipate the lack of sleep but that's part of the camp experience. The kids there were so excited to be there, Kalamos is what they live for, the highlight of their year. The camp is on the side of a mountain and it is covered in dirt, so by just being there you are covered in dirt! I was told that dumping water on peoples head was very popular, but I didn't know until I got there just how popular it was. There were days where I was damp or soaking wet the whole day. My clothes would almost dry but then I would get attacked again. They call it "Booyellow" and it is a Greek word to describe the act of pouring water on someones head. The pastor of the 2nd Church was the director of the camp and it was his favorite thing to do. He had three rules for it: 1) it had to be unexpected 2) the water had to be very cold 3) it had to be annoying. This meant that he would wait until you had taken a shower and were clean and dry and then attack! He told us that once he had gotten his future mother-in-law, so after we heard that we knew that no one was safe!
Even though it was dirty and I was damp most of the time, it was a really great week! I loved getting to know the girls in my tent as best I could with the language barrier. There were eight girls in my tent and two tent leaders. The girls were 13-14 years old and they were the youngest group there. They taught me loads of Greek, and I even got to the level of whole sentences! They were so great and it was a joy to be around them all week. They had such a sweet spirit and they stuck together. They even cheered for me in my sad attempt at playing soccer! I also loved getting to know the other counselors and helpers during breaks and the late night meetings.
The teaching was really great and I saw God working in the lives of the campers as they heard the Gospel everyday. I know that God is working in the lives of those kids to draw them to himself, to break down the walls they have put up, and to change their hearts. There were two kids from the community center that we worked with in Neos Kosmos that came to the camp and we were able to get to know them better and I am praying for what God will do in their lives. They are great kids and they could have a huge impact at the center and in their community.
Beth and I were in charge of games and while they didn't go how we had planned at all, they kids had fun. We filled up over 200 water balloons and they had a war, we taught them red rover and they had a blast (until someone got hurt), we played "lightening" and they tested their reflexes. But we never did as many as we had planned, and the games never went according to plan. But that's ok. We were able to be flexible and go with the flow, just like the Greeks.
It was a great week. We left exhausted, with a backpack full of dirty clothes, but we made some wonderful friends and we were sad to leave.
Even though it was dirty and I was damp most of the time, it was a really great week! I loved getting to know the girls in my tent as best I could with the language barrier. There were eight girls in my tent and two tent leaders. The girls were 13-14 years old and they were the youngest group there. They taught me loads of Greek, and I even got to the level of whole sentences! They were so great and it was a joy to be around them all week. They had such a sweet spirit and they stuck together. They even cheered for me in my sad attempt at playing soccer! I also loved getting to know the other counselors and helpers during breaks and the late night meetings.
The teaching was really great and I saw God working in the lives of the campers as they heard the Gospel everyday. I know that God is working in the lives of those kids to draw them to himself, to break down the walls they have put up, and to change their hearts. There were two kids from the community center that we worked with in Neos Kosmos that came to the camp and we were able to get to know them better and I am praying for what God will do in their lives. They are great kids and they could have a huge impact at the center and in their community.
Beth and I were in charge of games and while they didn't go how we had planned at all, they kids had fun. We filled up over 200 water balloons and they had a war, we taught them red rover and they had a blast (until someone got hurt), we played "lightening" and they tested their reflexes. But we never did as many as we had planned, and the games never went according to plan. But that's ok. We were able to be flexible and go with the flow, just like the Greeks.
It was a great week. We left exhausted, with a backpack full of dirty clothes, but we made some wonderful friends and we were sad to leave.
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