We're Home

We made it home after quite a long journey home. Thank you all for your prayers. Here are some photos to recap the last days of our trip. -SD Blogmaster

San Diego 2012 - Day 6 and 7

Sophia Recap

Hi I'm Sophia, and I would like to share some of my thoughts as our San Diego trip is coming to a close. Five years from now, I don't think I will remember the buffet meal or the four affirmations during devotions on the last day of our camp. Rather, I will remember being the recipient of many gestures of love from teachers and friends. When I first saw the list of students going to San Diego, I admit that I felt pretty disappointed and even anxious because I was one of the only five sophomores. I saw the names of many juniors and seniors I thought I would never get to know any of them, and I was prepared to see everyone laughing and talking together while I stood on the side by myself. I thought I would have to be the one trying to awkwardly approach everyone and tag along with the juniors. The week before our trip was one of the most stressful weeks of my life with school and extracurriculars, and I had a very important piano audition Saturday morning  so I had to take a plane down to San Diego by myself. I felt very frustrated because I would miss ten hours of valuable bonding time and "fall behind" friendship-wise. However, when I got off the plane, I was welcomed by the entire San Diego team waving to me and running up to me to give me a hug and ask me about my audition and my flight. For a moment, I felt hope that this trip might be better than I expected. At night, I had one of my severe headaches and I reconsidered the hope I felt only two hours earlier. But what shocked me was that as I stood next to the campfire, Jeremiah, a boy I had never even thought of talking to came up to ME and introduced himself. I didn't even have to make an effort. And when I went back to my cabin, people immediately sensed that I was not feeling well, and my cabinmates left the campfire and s'mores and brought medicine and water, accompanying me as I lay down nauseous but feeling so loved. That night I went to sleep laughing as Miss Doyle took my temperature in Celcius and tried to remember how to convert it to Fahrenheit and how it took ten minutes trying to get someone's phone to convert the temperature.

The next morning, I woke up and went hiking with a group of people I never expected to interact with, and they even adopted me into their "family" as if I had known them for years. I also remember telling a group of boys about my tough group of kids, and they told me that their entire cabin had prayed for me. When we went to in-n-out, I was so touched seeing Mr. Lee pass out everyone's food, and how he had such a servant's heart in and out of the camp. Also, one morning, I woke up at 5 to get ready to ride the bus and pick up the camp kids. I stepped out of the shower, and Emma immediately started blow drying and braiding me hair, helping me get ready. These are only a few little actions of love that I experienced, and I know I was not the only one who felt so much love on this trip. 

Before our final sharing time, we were having worship time and singing our hearts out. As I closed my eyes, it suddenly hit me that in heaven, we would spend our time worshipping God with other believers. As I looked around, I realized that the people I was surrounded by were the people I wanted to spend eternity with. 

I want to be involved in this community of believers for as long as I live, and I hope everyone realizes how much of an impact a smile or simple hello can mean. 

And a shout-out to all the juniors - I'm so excited for you guys to be the seniors and leaders of our school next year! 

Piglet Recap

Hello Everyone!  This trip has been so amazing!  So at the beginning of camp, Sophia and I had five girls who weren't really into us.  They would participate a little bit but would not talk to us and kept asking when camp is over or when they could leave.  It was really discouraging for me because I was so ready to play with my group of kids but God gave me the most independent girls.  So I just kept praying that Sophia and I could find a way to connect with them.  The second day was a little bit better as I found out they loved to climb trees and play a game that involved jumping over a rubber band.  They began to participate more and play with us more but were still closed off.  So I just kept praying and God totally came through.  The last day Sophia and I found a way to connect with them and that was through taking pictures of them with Mr. Lee's camera.   They just loved being in the photos and were smiling at us. It was so encouraging seeing them smile and laugh.  I thank God for helping us.  At the end of the day, 4 of the 5 girls prayed to officially accept Christ into their hearts.  Thinking back on it, I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to share the gospel and impact these girls' lives.  This week God has answered so many prayers and has done so much within these kids and even in us, the counselors.  I'm so thankful for the people who came on this mission trip.  I have watched everyone bond and grow together. We would never have been able bond like this at school.  I'm also so glad that I was able to witness these people have an impact on their kids.  I have seen these people handle the hardest kids and still be able to smile at the end of the day and to still be able to want to work with their kids.   Just thinking about how much good they have done and how much they have done with these kids, I tear up a bit. The last night as we closed up, everyone gave hugs and just offered up affirmations to each other.  It was so encouraging and amazing.  There were tears everywhere and as we sang the last song, everyone poured their hearts out to God in worship.  Everyone had their arms around each other as we sang and I felt like I was with family.   I'm so thankful for this trip and this group of people.  Thank you for prayers.  They meant so much to me.  

Lauren "Piglet" Dacorro 

Shrimp Recap

Coming on the San Diego trip I was so nervous because I was one of the five sophomores that was accepted. I was really worried that there would be so many cliques throughout all of the upperclassmen and that the refugee kids wouldn't want to be in my group. But as the trip progressed, I was able to bond with a lot of the upperclassmen and be a good role model to my kids. On the first day, I had the opportunity to pick up the kids and on the bus I was able to meet one sweet girl name Zwali. By the time I got off the bus Zwali was hugging me and holding my hand. I was so blessed that she was able to be in my group. Some days I would be so tired and just want to sleep but just being there with Zwali just brightened my day. I have to admit that there were some trouble makers in my group, but I tried to love them just as Jesus would have. I was so blessed to have Ashley as my partner, I felt that we completed each other. When one of us would become tired we would keep encouraging each to keep going and push through it. Together we helped lead four of our six girls to Christ. I am just so thankful that I had this awesome opportunity to come to San Diego and develop such close relationship with so many people. I hope that I will be able to come back to San Diego again! 

Angela Tse (Shrimp)

Coco Recap

San Diego has been a huge humbling experience. Just all the stories of the kids and what conditions they live in have opened my eyes do much. It has been one of the best experiences I have had. I had the time to sit down with many kids and hear their life stories and see what houses they live in when we passed out flyers for our camp. I truly appreciate what I have at home. I love these kids. They have had such an impact on me. I lost count of how many piggy backs I gave, how many times I chased the kids, the pushes on the swings and all the times I carried their backpack. Seeing them going on the zipline and into the pool for the first time was so great but I didn't care because I love them so much and just seeing them smile and laugh and get excited for the next activity was amazing. I had the opportunity to see them grow in their faith and myself as well. They moved me and humbled me a lot. I will miss this trip and would do it over again a million times. One of the most important things I have learned from the speakers Mr.Carroll, Mr. Bortz and Mr. Burkhardt is to be bold. It seems like two simple words, but they have so much more meaning and memories to go with them. And lastly, I will never forget our group and how closely knit it became in just a week. I hope it will continue to spread all over our school. I will never forget the memories and experiences I had on this San Diego service trip. I loved every second since I got in Mr. Lee's car to the drive down, to the barn times to when the campers came and  the tiring nights to the day they left. I'm going to miss this trip tremendously!! <3 

- Shreya Coco Wadhawan 

Minseo Recap

San Diego has been an amazing experience. It was my first missions trip and it has already taught me so much. Working with kids has been so much fun and now that I think about it, they have truly taught me more than I have been able to teach them. The many worship times we had, the qt times we had, & all the times we prayed for each other really helped me grow more in my faith. Getting to bond with people who I normally wouldn't bond with was so much fun as well :) I don't know.... I don't think there are words to describe this trip. It was just a really humbling experience and every physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion that we had to go through was definitely worth it in the end. I'd do it all over again.

-Minseo Yoon

Last Day of Camp!

Thank you all for your prayers. The team made it through yesterday tired and exhausted. We have one last day with the kids so please pray for spiritual, emotional, and physical strength. Also, pray for the refugee kids as they will be presented with the gospel message today and that their hearts will be open to God's message. Here are some photos from the 2nd day of camp. -SD Blogmaster

San Diego 2012 - Day 5

Rockman

April 4th. Hello everyone! Cole Eberwein here! Today was the second day with the kids. The kids are amazing! I had probably had one of the hardest groups of kids on the camp. I had nine older kids that wanted nothing to do with camp and God. On the first day, two of the kids, Jeffrey and "Rockman" ditched most of the activities and chapel. They wanted nothing to do with God. Today, Rockman went a little bit crazy. He punched me and got into a fist fight with another boy from a different group. I took him aside and took him on a long walk. I talked to him about God. He told me he didn't have a father, and I told him God could fill that gap. He pondered this, but he didn't think it was a good idea. I asked him if I could pray for him and he nodded. I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed. I felt God as soon as I touched him. It was truely a God moment. I felt God through him. I am proud to say I planted a small seed of God in him. Please pray for Rockman and me as we go through the rest of week. 

Green Rabbit

Hello everyone! 

It is April 4, 2012.  This is the second day of camp with the kids. On Monday we went to the pool, rode the zip line, played games and played on the playground. Yesterday, we played on the playground, rode the zip line, swam, and went on a hayride.  My kids are from Thailand. They are all girls and range from the ages of 11 to 13.  They are soooo cool.   Sophia and I have nicknamed them all.  Their nicknames are Green Rabbit, Purple Monkey, Purple Dog, Pink Sunflower, and Orange Elephant.  They have this cool game of jumping over a rubber band.  They are really good at it.  Monkey can jump over the rubber band when the rubber band is raised over both Sophia's and my head.  She does this crazy butterfly kick.  It's really cool.  Everyone has bonded so much.  Tuesday night, we had an impromptu worship night outside of  the dining hall.  It was very nice and peaceful.  I loved singing out and praising God.  We also have met new friends who work at the camp. Their team is called the IHC team staff.  Some of their camp names are Cypress, Copper, Hiccup, Moth, and Mammoth.  They are extremely friendly and helpful.  The other day a few of us went on an awesome hike with Cypress and the place he led us had an amazing view of San Diego.  This trip has been amazing and I recommend it for everyone.  

Lauren "Piglet" Dacorro 

Hey!

Hey everyone, it's Jordan Tuttle! First off I need to say Indian Hills is amazing! The facilities they have for the kids are great My favorite parts, and keep this in mind that I am 17, are definitely the playground and the petting zoo with 3 real peacocks and other various animals that you can pet and oogle at. Well, monday was an interesting one for me. I have only 2 girls in my group with my fellow counsouler  Natalie Heath. We really hope more come today so they have more of an opportunity to meet new people because they already know each other from church. They are just truly adorable. One of my girls Pascal had a scary experience in the pool and ended up not talking for about an hour and a half. It truly was  a challenge to get her to smile and to enjoy herself. After a lot of asking questions and patience Sarah Weiss and I finally got her to run around and enjoy herself. I ultimately got her to smile when started to play tag in which I was always "it" and on the teeder totter because I made her fly up everytime I went down. Besides that little hiccup my girls seemed to have a great time. I can't wait for more fun experiences today! 

First thoughts

Hi, it's Abbey Middleton here. I've been having such a great time here at camp! The area is beautiful, the people are wonderful, and God is so evident it is breathtaking! We met the kids for the first time on Monday. There were so many! My group was the group who went and picked them up in the city. It took a little longer than expected because the bus broke down! But we did our best to keep them entertained by playing some games. It all worked out in the end. When we at last pulled into camp, we were welcomed by the other counselors with signs and cheering! The kids were so excited. The day went well. I have a group of four girls who are refugees from Nepal. For one of them, it was her fourth time coming to Indian Hills Camp! The kids especially liked the swimming pool, even though it was FREEZING COLD!  After they left, we worked on some skits we will be doing for them later. And after that, I helped sort out some clothes we will be giving them and finished by listening to some stories told around the campfire. All in all, it was quite a fantastic day!

2nd Day of Camp

Yesterday was a blur! I got short time, but a quick update. God was amazing yesterday! The team fought through a bus breakdown, a lot of kids, and physical tiredness. Yet the Holy Spirit worked through everyone and you could feel the love of Jesus on camp. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for the team. We are exhausted just from the first day, and today we will most likely get more kids. Here are some photos from yesterday for you to see what we experienced. -SD Blogmaster

San Diego 2012 - Day 4

First Day of Camp!

Today is the first day of camp for the refugee kids. The team is very excited to received these kids and to love on them all day. As I write this, part of our team has gone to pick up the kids from different church locations to bring them to the camp. Please pray for the following things today: 1. Pray for the refugee kids that their hearts will be prepared for our team, the camp, and all of the activities that are happening in the next 3 days. 2. Pray for our team that we will be filled with Christ's love and empowered by the Holy Spirit with energy so that these kids will know the love of Jesus. 3. Pray for safety for the buses that they will arrive and depart safely from each location and the camp. 4. Pray that the camp registration process will go smoothly at each church site so that the kids will be able to come and experience the camp The San Diego team appreciates your prayers and hopefully we will have more blogs coming soon. Thank you for supporting us! -SD Blogmaster

Camp Training

Yesterday, the team took a tour of the camp to familiarize ourselves with the camp surroundings. Other training followed which included how to lead a child to Christ, camp discipline and punishment, staff commitment roles, and learning the camp songs. The team had a blast with the songs and even the leaders really got into it, maybe a bit too much. After the night program, our team took a little night hike to the zip line where the team got to experience flying down a hill on a cable in the moonlight. Here are a few photos to recap our 3rd day at the camp.

San Diego 2012 - Day 3

Here are some photos of yesterday's team bonding time together as well as our experience in passing out fliers to the refugee kids.

San Diego 2012 - Day 2

Today our team gets trained by the Indian Hills Camp staff as we prepare to receive the refugee kids from the city. Please pray that our team can continue bonding and helping each other and that the training will go well. Also, pray for the refugee children that their hearts will be prepared. We could tell as a team from passing out the fliers that the refugee kids were very excited to come and can't wait to spend time with us. Thank you for your prayers and more updates will come hopefully soon.

-SD Blogmaster

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! Cole Eberwein here. San Diego has been so amazing so far. Today, Sunday, we attended "All people's church" held at Horace Mann middle school. The church was full of people on fire for God. It was very different from the kind of church I usually attend. The worship and the message was amazing.  The people there told amazing stories of spiritual and physical healing. It was so cool to get an experience of what other churches are like. I have only gone to one church in my life and I was so glad to get out of that bubble and experience more of Jesus Christ. After church, we drove to different places and handed out fliers to the refugee families. It has been great to feel like I am being used to spread the word of God. I can't wait to spend the rest of week serving God by helping kids.

Hello everyone

Hello Everyone 

It is Sunday. We went to church which was really great.  Afterwards we passed out flyers to kids who would like to attend our camp. It was really fun but since there was a language barrier, it was really hard to communicate with the parents. In one instance, a group of us tried to tell this one Burmese family about camp, but no one could understand us because they could not speak English.  Eventually, they had their four year old son translate which was really cool since he was so young.  In the end, the kids could not attend because they were too young.  Passing out the flyers really opened my eyes to the different cultures that live in San Diego.  Each place had a different smell from all the different food they were cooking. It smelled so good.  Bonding with everyone on the trip is really great. Cole and I made a handshake and our car is really loud as we talk about horror movies.  So far this trip has been awesome.

Lauren Dacorro :)