Our theme was "Timeline" so when the participants arrived they were welcomed with a walk through a few historical events, including Noah building the ark...
the tower of Babel, where we tried unsuccessfully to build while speaking four different languages...
Moses with the Ten Commandments...
Martin Luther and his 95 theses...
The study material which was written to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which we have been celebrating in Ukraine all year. The morning small group lessons and the evening large group preaching followed the theme of the day, leading us from creation to the present day.
God answered many prayers as several recent patients at Agape were able to attend. We had a few stormy evenings/nights, but otherwise the weather was great for being outside. We were able to take two trips to the nearby lake and each person, regardless of disability, had the opportunity to be in and/or on the water (on a mattress or a boat). As usual, we had "Spa Salon" one afternoon, as well as table games and all-camp games. And there was plenty of time for fellowship, relaxation and walks through the nearby forest.
My responsibility for the week including living in a room with these ladies and assisting with their needs. I did not know any of them before the camp, but we quickly became friends and had a blessed week together.
Larisa, on the far right, is pretty independent anyway and she became almost totally independent in the camp once she received the electric wheelchair, so I spent most of my time with Ira and her mom. Ira is 32 years old and has cerebral palsy. She cannot talk, but it's clear she understands what is happening around her and desires to be part of it. She had not been out of her 2nd floor apartment in the past 3 years until coming to camp. So understandably she wanted to be outside every time it was possible. And we wanted her mom to have as much rest as possible, so I and another volunteer on our team spent as much time as we could with Ira. It was a joy to be with her as she was so excited to do anything we suggested! She had not had the opportunity to swim since she was a child, so we took her in the lake both days, much to her delight. And on the last day, with Sveta as our captain, we cruised around the pond at the retreat center in the boat.
We truly had a wonderful week and continue to pray for fruit in the lives of those who heard the truth taught this week. We are headed out any minute for camp for families of children with disabilities (hence the brief blog about adult camp) and we look forward to another good week. Thank you to all who pray for the camps! We are so blessed to be here and be part of serving people with disabilities during these two weeks.
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