Letter 2 to my supporters and friends...(written last week ;)

July 30, 2008

Hey Everybody,

I don’t know how, but I’ve found a quiet moment and I’m so excited to take hold of it to write you all. So here I am, comfy in bed, listening to the new Coldplay album and wishing the big gray clouds outside my bedroom window would finally explode with rain…

This week has seemed really different to me than the past 2 weeks of camp. I think one big reason is that we have changed some things around to accommodate nearly twice the number of volunteers as before. Most of the volunteers this week are Canadians, so we’re all trying to understand the language barriers between us, like how to properly say “badminton.” And our staff learned the Canadian National Anthem to help bridge the cultural gap, haha. It’s been fun.

This morning I helped some of the orphans make calls to their Australian and American Sponsors who have funded their time at camp. I couldn’t tell you how much it affected the sponsors to hear from the kids here...one lady was even tearing up just hearing one of the kids talk about how much he loved camp.

It’s really amazing to see how everyone plays a different role in making camp happen…People who sponsor camp make it financially possible for all of this to happen, international volunteers dedicate their time to creating relationships with the orphans, translators make communication possible, and all of you, who are the reason that I am here…

The last month in Nanchang has been so rich for me. I’ve had a great time having two orphan buddies I looked after during the first week of camp. And even though I still make it a priority to spend time with the children, my role has shifted to be more administrative lately. I work at gathering the photos and stories necessary to communicate camp back to the States, Australia, and beyond. I do enjoy that, but I also like helping people get messy in the craft room too. J

Anyhow, please keep us in your prayers. We want to finish camp well, despite fatigue and being bothered with small health issues like colds, etc. Pray that we would continue to be strong and united as a staff team, that our love for one another would only grow as camp continues. And please lift up the volunteers, translators, and children here, that their hearts would be both broken and mended with love and kindness this week.

Thank you a million,

kristen

“I want to serve you my God, I want to give you everything. Here I am with my arms open wide asking for you Lord to come inside. Won’t You make me new, won’t You make me true, Jesus won’t you make me like You? Touch my eyes so I can see. Touch my ears so I can hear. Touch my mind so I can know. Touch my heart so I can love You more.” –Shawn MacDonald