We have a simple song we do with the kids that goes like this: “It’s a great day to praise the Lord/ It’s a great day to praise the Lord/ It’s a great day to praise the Lord/ Walking in the light of love.” It’s perfect for kids who don’t know English very well, cause they don’t really have to remember that many words - plus it’s upbeat with fun actions (I get a workout anyhow). Well, today was a great day to praise the Lord. I am so grateful, Father. You have given me a fascinating summer to play with Your precious children and reach out to them with Your amazing love. I am blessed.
Today the green, red, yellow, and brown teams began writing their own songs. Jon and I decided it worked so well at Bugolobi, we might as well do it again! The songs are to be sung on Thursday this week, and today is already Tuesday, so we felt a bit rushed to come up with ideas, but the children did well. No “I love my shirt because it is good,” but the kids are incredibly talented. We have a song about “kingdom safari” (our theme for camp), an upbeat praise tune, and an “It’s a happy day” song that sounds suspiciously like the original “Oh, happy day.” But my new favorite is a very serious song from the red team, our naughtiest bunch of them all. They sing with great gusto, “The blood of Jesus washes us clean,” and then two of the more mischievous boys came up with the echo, “Washes, washes” which they sing in hilarious falsetto.
Story-time with the girls commenced precisely on schedule (ie: I might have forgotten all about it, much to my chagrin, had not the girls come in search of me). This time we wisely forsook the ant-infested picnic blanket for a safer spot on the wall under the shade. After the fairytale (about a mouse named George who fearlessly - accidentally - vanquishes a fierce dragon), I sat with one of the girls for nearly an hour, listening to her tell various stories, riddles, and jokes. She went nearly page-by-page through the telling of Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place. I don’t think I’ve ever known a child so avid about reading. In the midst of all the story-telling, I even forgot to get her name!
I also sat with a boy named Douglas, who had on, I think, the coolest hat I’ve seen in Africa. It made him look part gangster, part French artist, and it fit him perfectly. Douglas wasn’t feeling well today, so we skipped out on watermelon together and enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet away from the crowds. I promised him I would pray that You heal him tonight - as, really, we didn’t bring him all the way out to camp so he could be sick the entire time, and it would be a shame for him to miss out on things. So, dear Father, heal Douglas tonight; may he wake up tomorrow refreshed in body and spirit. You are God. Amen.
