Cherokee Trip Update 4

Cherokee 2019 Day 4

Today began…. a little uniquely.  At 6:13 AM, the power went out across the Ela camp where we were all staying.  Many people were in the shower or brushing their teeth at this time when the lights went out.  The electricity apparently also powered the pressure function for the water, so after a couple minutes of residual pressure, we had no water either.  Thankfully, however, Erin Strickland came to the rescue, having already cooked a large container of bacon and brewed a full pot of coffee to ease the slightly disgruntled missionaries.  Breakfast by flashlight was fun, though!  And right on schedule, we began praise and worship in the dark.  As the songs lifted our spirits and we praised God, the lights came back on, and a wonderful day of gorgeous weather and powerful ministry began.

At the boys and girls club, we had record attendance numbers, almost posing a challenge for the number of leaders available.  The second installment of the Lazarus skit went smoothly and the kids were all attentive.  We all had a chance to sit down and talk with the kids afterwards about how Jesus can overcome all obstacles and that he always hears and responds to us when we pray, even if we don’t always understand why bad things happen.  We had a chance to pray with the kids and then the activities began.  The kids in science camp were a little bit hyper, but we all had fun playing with magnets and doing a couple other crafts together.  Meanwhile, the kids in soccer camp played their absolute hardest and were quick to engage fully with the soccer activities of the day.  

Once Soccer and Science camp finished up, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch hanging out with the kids.  Soon afterward, we all packed up and headed back to the river where the competition for tallest rock tower continued!  But then it just turned into a multitude of small groups all just making their own towers for fun.  We turned around and headed to evening soccer camp pretty quickly.

Throughout the day, we couldn’t have had nicer weather.  Attendance for evening soccer camp was even more record breaking.  On Monday there were around 20 kids whereas today there were over 40!  Everyone had a wonderful time doing exercises and practicing with the soccer ball.  This time we were able to perform our skit in full and then run a few full soccer scrimmages before the day was over.  

Overall, today went amazingly and especially considering how it started, it was proven to us once again that Jesus really can overcome any obstacles.  We are so blessed to be given this opportunity to show these kids who Jesus is.  It is so exciting to be part of that influence.  Tomorrow marks the half way point for the camp.  Pray that the Lord continues to provide for us and protect us from any sort of mishaps that may occur in the future.