So here's what last week looked like. Or should I say last month, because that's what it felt like!
Day One - campers arrived, with buses and planes coming in from all over Europe (Turkey, England, Germany, Italy, Belguim). Campers slept on a gym floor because of thunderstorms. The next day they traveled to Lucca (one of the remaining "walled" cities) and moved into their own Tent City when they returned. We had Club that night, and got ready for Day 3. Day 3 was a trip to Elba. It went far better than we had anticipated, with only one bus driver getting stuck and ripping off his rear bumper because he went the wrong way (oops). Elba is a beautiful island, with a gorgeous beach full of sea glass. We dipped into Napolean's palace (not too shabby) and traipsed all over the Medici Fortress (the best view on the island).
Day 4 was the waterpark. We didn't go because it was our day off, but kids loved it and had a great time.
Day 5 = the best. Cinque Terre. Seriously, if you've been there, you know that words can't describe the beauty of these 5 towns scattered along the coast of the sea. Shout out to the Knott's for recommending a place to stay - we can't wait to go back at the end of our trip. But really, picture cliff jumping into crystal blue waters, beautiful beaches, adorable shops, and fantastic food (mostly pesto). We wish we could just bottle it all up and take it back to the states with us. Alas, you'll all just need to go visit...
Day 6 was either the beach or Pisa or both. I took 3 buses full of kids to Pisa, which was nice, but overrun with pushy vendors and pickpockets. Don't worry, none of us were hit, it just made walking around a little less comfortable. The leaning tower and Duomo really are beautiful, they're just overshadowed a bit by a tourist culture on the rampage. From there we took all 375 campers and leaders to the American Beach, had a cookout, and then Club. Then right as the sun was setting, our speaker shared about Christ's appropriation and gave every camper 15 minutes to spend with God. Imagine sitting on a beach, crystal blue water in front of you, with the sun setting on the horizon of the sea. Breathtaking. Then campers had "tent time" to discuss what they'd heard with the leaders and friends. We left the beach feeling like the Lord had accomplished much.
On Day 7 that was confirmed. 25 students stood up to Say So (publicly confess they had made a decision to follow Christ), and over 200 raised their hand to say that they had already made that decision prior to coming to camp. There was one young lady, Emily Hall, who I really connected with. The circumstances of our meeting were less than desirable - she had taken a glow stick to the eye and I had to take her to the doctor with a cornea laceration. I checked in with her constantly, and while at the beach I saw her crying hysterically. I ran over thinking something had gone horribly awry with her eye, but started laughing when she reassured me that they were tears of joy. Her little brother had just decided to follow Christ, and she was overjoyed. Seriously, picture bliss and that's what I saw on Emily's face. It was absolutely beautiful.
There are so many more details, and I'm sure that things will change as middle schoolers arrive today, but I wanted to paint you a picture of what we've been experiencing and how we've been serving.
Thanks for checking in on us and reading these novels. Will try to post more frequently this next week. Love to all of you back in the states!
