A jar for loose change, a jumble sale, young people car washing. Quizzes and many generous donations meant that Mike and I could take 16 year-olds, Josh, Matt and Ben and another married couple, Anthony and Adrienne, from our church in England to the banks of the River Ross in Khreshchatyk, Ukraine (home of Kompas Park). There we teamed up with two other Brits, Dan and Kate.
The generosity of the church had meant that 23 additional children could attend the camp free of charge and receive the presents we had carried with us: stuffed animals, toothbrushes & paste, notebooks, pencils, compasses and not least of all a Bible for every child. A blue and yellow T-shirt (Ukrainian national colors) were provided for each volunteer and coffee mugs imprinted with a picture of our church were given to our fellow Ukrainian volunteers and staff.
All of this for one purpose! We had come to help lead a Children's Camp at Kompas Park, where the theme was 'Finding Your Way.’ Our prayer was that every child would find the right path to their Loving, Heavenly Father. The new Kompas Park maze and paths, along with the symbolism of the compass (Kompas) helped the 8 to 14 year old orphans and children from difficult home situations to focus on the challenge of finding their way in life.
Sometimes it is the unplanned that God uses to get His own message across. An unemployed Ukrainian teacher had come as a volunteer leader. In her purse she had the sum total of her housekeeping money for the following two weeks – just 100 Hrivna ($15). At the beginning of the camp the money was stolen. Obviously, she was very worried! How would she cope after the camp? Though she suspected one of the girls, she said nothing to her.
However, near the end of the camp, that same girl returned the 100 Hrivnas, saying that she had ‘found it’ on the sports field. What an amazing God. Maybe she had found a new kompas to lead her through the maze, onto the path that leads to life.
The facilities at Kompas Park, with all the excitement and fun on the River Ross nearby, give the children a wonderful opportunity to simply enjoy their surroundings for the week. We all returned exhausted but truly blessed by the experience. Frank and Lin were never far away to help us out when needed; they are truly very special people. Alla works very hard, quietly in the background keeping everything ticking smoothly. Nadia, the Ukrainian camp leader, has unlimited energy and a wonderful sense of humor - she certainly had to while we were there! The Ukrainian team was so very special that one could write a book about the fun we shared. The cooks worked tirelessly to produce 3 meals a day for the entire camp. The father and son 'River Men' kept an eye on us all and supplied endless fun with the banana boat and water slide, to mention just two pieces of inflatable fun equipment.
Our days were busy with all manner of sports, acting out Bible stories, crafts and clubs. The favorite activity was a cooling trip to the river as the temperature was in the 90's. There was an air of excitement at the grand launching of a rocket made out of a pressurized Coca Cola bottle and the general mayhem of a water bomb fight. We felt very privileged to be part of such a special team. We all worked very hard to bring fun and love to the children. Thank you Hope Now for giving us the opportunity to go and thank you to Godstone Baptist Church for all your fund-raising, prayers and support. Everyone has been truly A MAZE ING.
