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BCM Camp Briefs

BRAZIL

Ismael* lives in a favela (slum) of Recife, Brazil. His home may be cobbled together of scrap lumber, corrugated tin, even cardboard. The dirt streets are as narrow as hopes for his life. His single mother would dearly love to give her son an education, but it is hard enough to come up with beans and rice to fill his stomach. Instead he spends his days on the streets of Recife, doing odd jobs, begging, even stealing to feed himself and younger siblings. Ismael’s dream is to save for a shoeshine kit that will allow him to earn real money.

But for one week this year Ismael will delight in food, fun, and fellowship—and a brief escape from the congested, dusty streets of Recife. A scholarship has given him the opportunity to attend a week of BCM Brazil’s camping program for street children. Last year over 600 children like Ismael attended camp, and 163 accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

PERU

While northern climes are shivering in the cold and taking down their Christmas trees, south of the equator in Peru, BCM missionaries are just gearing up their camping season. BCM Peru holds camps in six provinces from the capital of Lima to Iquitos, Pucallpa, Tarapoto and Ica. Camps include four weeks for children and four weeks for youth. Last year 133 campers accepted Christ with 534 campers making decisions of commitment.

Counselors share of one little boy, very timid and withdrawn, who came on a scholarship donated by one of the local churches. Slowly he began to open up to counselors and other children and finally made a decision for Christ. At the end of camp, he expressed that he’d had a good time and hoped to come back to camp someday. What a surprise for counselors when a smiling, extroverted little boy showed up for the very next week of camp. When asked how he’d managed to return, he told how he’d spent the weekend collecting plastic bottles and selling them to the recyclers so he could pay for another week of camp.

“We could share many more such testimonies,” says BCM missionary and former camper himself, Jonatan Odicio. “We know in our hearts how much this ministry touches both campers and staff, impacting lives in just such a manner as we ourselves have been impacted."

NORTHERN IRELAND

Last year’s summer at Mullartown House Camp and Conference Centre in Northern Ireland included six weeks of camps for children and youth. Each week was filled with activities such as crafts, sports, music, drama, puppets, and Bible stories. Camp Director Scott Widman recalls that as the fifth week drew to a close, he was hurriedly crossing the property, focused on accomplishing his next task. Two boys stopped him, and one of them asked, “Mr. Widman, can you help? My friend wants to get saved.” What a privilege to lead that boy to Christ!

RUSSIA

Why would 47 Americans give piggy back rides and play duck-duck-goose? Sound like the start of a bad joke? It isn’t. Instead it is part of the ministry some BCM volunteers had with orphans in Vologda, Russia. The American team joined BCM’s Russian staff in conducting day camps for the orphanages. The goal for the camp was to help these children without parents come to know their true Father in heaven. As one volunteer put it, “My life will never be the same!” This can probably be said for the orphans as well who, for a few weeks saw tangible evidence that someone loved them.

CHINA

If kids can’t travel to camp, then why not take camp to the kids? For eight years BCM missionary and Camp Sankanac director Jan Coudriet has done just that, traveling from Camp Sankanac to the Beijing area as part of a team holding day camps in a number of Chinese orphanages. The objective of the camps is to school the orphans in conversational English, a skill invaluable for their future education and employment. But team members also share their hearts and lives with the children, befriending them and showing them the love of God in their own lives.

The orphanages are of simple concrete construction where children sleep on hard board bunks and space is severely limited. But the children placed in these orphanages from some of the poorest countryside in China express that this is the first time they have had three meals a day, clothes on their backs, a roof over their heads—much less, an environment of love and safety.

“Some of these kids have never smelled hot cooked food before, let alone tasted it,” Jan shares. During each week of camp, team members not only teach English classes, but use arts and crafts, music, and organized games to polish English skills. And to show these children that they care. Team members can use drama to share stories like the Good Samaritan and American holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Anything American is popular from music to sports. Back in Pennsylvania, USA, Camp Sankanac campers have made the Chinese camps their own outreach project, giving of their own spending money to donate basketball, pingpong, and other playground equipment.

By the end of camp, saying goodbye is emotional for both team members and campers. Jan remembers children on their bikes following the team bus for miles, waving goodbye and begging the team to come back.

“More than anything, we need volunteers,” says Jan. “If you can speak English, play with kids, and share God’s love in your life, we can use you.” Then he adds with a warning chuckle, “If you come, you will lose your heart to the Chinese people.”