Every English Camp is a new experience. You meet so many different people and have so much fun. The real reason for these camps is not to do a week of English. The reason is to go into a city/town using a specific outreach tool to get unbelievers into an atmosphere where they hear about the Lord and are forming relationships with other Christians. It is amazing how much people want to learn English. I have been to many different camps in Poland and in other countries. I have learned to always expect the unexpected. I have also learned how important relationships are in bringing someone to really truly know the Lord and keep them strong in their faith.
We had no clue how many people would show up at the church the first day of the camp but we knew God did. There were 5 of us on this team here to teach at the camp. Justyna (Polish) and my mom taught the beginners together and Ligia (Bulgarian) and Hunter (American – Georgia) taught the advanced group. I was the photographer and helped out where needed. I loved it!
Each day, we started off the sessions with an assembly of songs and questions to help remind them of the day before. The classes ran for about 2 ½ hours with a break in the middle. In the first few days, the last thing they learned in class was proverbs or memory verses. At the end, there was another assembly with different songs and each group performing something they learned that day. The first day was all about family and teaching them different English words dealing with the family – like brother, sister, mother-in-law, etc. The second day was about friends with a teaching of a Nigerian proverb about holding a true friend with both your hands. The teachers showed how a true friend is someone who is always there for you no matter what like Jesus. The third day was where they are thought about the Good Samaritan and dramatized the story. Our students had so much fun acting this out especially, Jakub, who is ten years old and was in the beginners’ class. He would be considered the class clown but he had a great time and enjoyed learning. We had tons of laughs with him. He would constantly be making different faces or yelling “Hallelujah”. The fourth day was when the students learn how to say where they are from and gave directions in English. I like this day because the students draw their own city with roads and all kinds of different buildings. Each map is just so different and they enjoy doing it. On this day, the students learned John 14:6: Jesus said, “I’m the way, the truth, and the life.” They also were taught, “Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:27) The last day was all about the Prodigal Son, which is dramatized as well. The students are more open and relaxed by the end of the week so they were able to laugh and act crazy when putting on their play. It is so much fun to be apart of.
During the week, we also took them outside and taught them baseball. They don’t really have baseball here in Poland or in much of Europe. Most of them, however, have heard of it. We brought with us a soft bat and ball so no one gets hurt. Everyone loved it. We had so much fun teaching them the rules, playing with them, and watching them get all confused sometimes and having a good time. We found some really good players here, who really enjoyed playing. This helped them loosen up, relax, make friendships, and just have fun playing a game and learning English at the same time.
English camps take a lot of time and energy but at the end we always walk away with new friendships, big smiles, and a longing to come back soon.
