Day 8 - Day 2 of English Camp

Let me just begin by saying... Wow... Portugal is beautiful. I wish you could all be here to experience the weather, the scenery, the people, and the food. Oh, and I can't forget the history!

Today we kicked off the second day of English camp and it was a blast. The theme for the day was baseball. We, of course, sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and even taught them how to play baseball during recreation time. They loved it!!

However, today's main focus was on the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zeraphath. Together we learned that God always provides for us in time of need. This was reinforced through skits, small group time, and Grants testimony. The biggest problem I had all day, was that the students had difficulty pronouncing "Zerapath," but who can blame them?

We also helped them to explore the idea of "who are you?" The students (and some of our team members) created graphic organizers to explain their favorite hobbies, their relationship with their family, and relationship with God. With everyday they are learning more and more English words. It's exciting to see their progress. And it's been so fun to help them improve.

Tonight we watched four wonderful performances that the youth put on for their talent show. We even had guest appearances from the American Idol judges, but we called them by the names Phil, Sheryl, and Steve. It was awesome to see the students interact with one another in this way. They are all so talented.

My favorite part of these camps has been getting to know the students. They all have great personalities. I wish I could tell you about all 20ish kids we have been working with, but that would be a very long blog post. Instead, I'll just say that I am truly blessed to be here working with each and everyone of them. While it is quite tiring, I will be very sad when English camp is over. In fact, as I am typing this Ivo (one of our campers) is telling me about the marshmallow party in the kitchen. Maybe I should join...

Before I go, I'll leave you with a fun fact for the day. This is something I have been doing everyday on my personal blog and thought you would enjoy it too.

Fun fact: If you tell a young Portuguese person to "break a leg" before their skit, they will just stare back at you like you're crazy. 


Dani, for the team



Pic #1 - The whole crew from English Camp

Pic #2 - Buddies (Miguel and Wesley)

Pic #3 - Reading English (Dani with Tatyana)

Pic #4 - Small group Bible reading

Pic #5 - "North American" lunches during the week. Today - tacos!

Pic #6 - Baseball theme today! James coaching Selma.

Pic #7 - They were swingin' for the fence.

Pic #8 - Who are you?

Pic #9 - U.S. and Portuguese Mennonites Dancing