Kids' camp

Time hurries on by at such a rate! Kids' camp has been over almost a week now, and I'm just getting down to writing about it. It had just started when I last wrote.

It was a great week, in spite of one or 2 hitches along the way. The water continued to be an issue all week, for some reason the city water was coming into our tank at a trickle, and that couldn't keep up with the need. So by Monday afternoon, we had run out again. the cry went up again - "No hay agua!" (there's no water!). So the solution was to bring it in by tanker twice a day, and that kept us going. So then all was well, until the last evening, when the program for the final night was just getting underway. Everything suddenly went black - no power. This is a common happening here, and usually you just wait and it comes back on in due course. But I looked around and realized that neighbours on all sides had power, it was just us. So probably a bigger problem. And It didn't come back on. But in true Ecuadorian style, the program went on, with a couple of feeble flashlights, and the headlights from Ray's car, which he moved into position to add some light to the scene. It was also pouring rain. So the evening progressed and the awards were given out, winning team announced and all was celebrated as it should be. But between the lack of light and the rain, it meant that it all wrapped up and everybody went to bed a lot sooner than usual - not a bad thing in my opinion!

The power thing turned out to be something between our transformer and the wires that feed us our electricity. For awhile it looked like it was the transformer, which would have meant a huge expense to replace, but it turned out to be a smaller job. It was repaired later in the week. But in the meantime, no power meant no pump, and - oh no! No water again! So we had to leave camp uncleaned.

Healthwise,the week began really well, no problems, no sickness, no injury. On Thursday morning I was in the cyber in Playas writing an email to someone, saying that it had been a really easy week for the nurse. Just then my cell phone rang, it was Janna telling me that a little guy had fallen and either dislocated his shoulder or broken his collarbone. Please come back quickly! When I got there, I looked at it, and decided that it was probably the collarbone. So we called the local clinic to see if they could do x-rays, and they couldn't but the doctors were having lunch at a hotel close to us, so they would come and look. Which they did. I told Alejandro that he must be really important, the doctor was coming right to camp to see him! They confirmed what I had thought, and said that he needed a splint, which one of them would buy in Guayaquil and they would put it on the next day. We got it x-rayed later in the afternoon ($20 for an x-ray and consultation), and I made a call to one of the doctors at my clinic in Canada for advice. Next day we took him to the clinic, got the splint applied, and that was that! Alejandro by then thought he was pretty special, was quite pleased with himself. So what began as an "oh no, now what do we do" situation, finished off well. But it is indeed an education for me to learn how to navigate this healthcare system, or lack thereof. Skills I'm going to be needing as I start this new life.

The other crisis that day was another stingray sting, to Daniel Lucas, which happened while I was back at camp between attempts to get the xrays done. He took it very well, and by now we knew what to do, I like to think I'm becoming a bit of an expert on this one! Into the hot water went the foot, and we waited it out, while swarms of concerned campers and counsellors looked on. Could he possibly have been enjoying it all just a bit? Concerned females giving him treats and attention? No, of course not!

But in spite of all these happenings, the week was a very good one. William and Johanna did a superb job of running the camp, and the counsellors were involved with the kids and everybody had a lot of fun. The tides were very high for the early part of the week, so the schedule was adjusted and the beach time was in the morning when the tide was out, and it was safer. It was good to see the new young counsellors doing the job, and doing it well. Leading groups, doing devotions with their cabin, and serving the food at mealtimes, and keeping good control of it all. A couple of the older counsellors ended the week feeling really good about time they had spent talking one on one with a child, and leading the child to the Lord. We pray for the seed that is planted during that one short time at camp, and that the ones who were counsellors will be able to shepherd the kids once they're back in Bastion, and be an example. They will see each other around the streets lots.