Jungle Camp
The jungle camp was our home away from home for the majority of our trip. We were the first group from our church to stay at the jungle camp, so we did not know what to expect. Overall I think we were pleasantly surprised, but we were not expecting the weather to be so close to what we have here at home. It was pretty warm, but unlike Texas, when we went in the shade there you could tell the difference in the temperature. We learned to love the rain because it kept the heat down, the sun away, and there were less bugs on the days that it rained. The scenery was breathtaking. It was crazy to wake up, and literally see a jungle right outside your door every morning. To this day I am still saying that the sky is not as blue here as it was in Ecuador. Our eating area and worship area were outside, and while our rooms did have four walls and a roof they were not bug, snake, or bat proof by any means. Which also means we had no air conditioning for those of you wondering. Let's just say that the bathrooms are not like what we have back in the States either. Making a mental note to courtesy flush the toilet before going to the bathroom to make sure no bugs or snakes were hanging out in the toilet definitely took some getting used to. Also, we could not flush toilet paper so our trash can became our best friend if we wanted to continue to have a toilet next to our room. For those of you who might be curious about the showers, the water was ice cold. It was both a blessing and a curse depending on how hot it was that day. The cold water definitely motivated us to take quick showers!
Take a look at the slideshow below!
Take a look at the slideshow below!
We arrived to the jungle camp Saturday afternoon. After unloading the suitcases and supplies that we needed for the week, we began to set up for the kids that would be arriving the following day. Set up included moving furniture, setting up the stage, and preparing the compassion bags and tie dye supplies for the week. The next day we attended church in a local town about twenty minutes from camp. It was a unique experience because of the fact that we had a pastor from the States give the sermon, and one of the missionaries translated it in Spanish. We also had the pleasure of sharing with them a couple of songs that we prepared. Take a look at all the pictures!
The kids began to arrive right after we got back from church Sunday morning. For the next three days we played with the kids, did arts and crafts, ate with them, and worshiped with them. Our last full day at camp we participated a game called the Jungle Race. Each team had to run a marked course around the camp while being timed. Whoever had the best time won. That was a tough race! Here are some of the pictures from the week!
After the kids left the camp, we took the bus about twenty minutes to a nearby town. From there we traveled about thirty minutes upriver, followed by a half-mile walk into the jungle to a community where we delivered compassion bags to the kids there. Experience our journey from the pictures below!
We gave compassion bags to the kids at both the jungle camp, and the kids at the community. The video below is from the community in the jungle. The joy and excitement that these kids have is undeniable in the video. Small things that we take for granted, they treasure. It was so humbling and eye opening to watch them open their bags as if it were Christmas.