Happy campers

Driving to the South African Baptist Convention’s bi-annual national children’s camp, I wasn’t sure what to expect during the next five days. One fact was certain: I wouldn’t get much sleep!

Four hours after leaving Johannesburg I approached a red sand track leading to the campsite situated in the Limpopo province.  

The campsite where 150 excited children would spend the next week sprung out of the arid bush land like an oasis in the desert.  


Zebras and giraffes
As the children from Soweto and other townships arrived, their faces lit up with big smiles as they saw the swimming pool sparkling in the sun. For many of them this would be the only chance to get away from their township during the year.

The camp is open to any child from the convention churches who can afford to go. It costs around £35 plus transportation.

The first evening they were taken into the bush to see some of the wildlife.  Many of them had never seen a cow before, never mind seeing zebras, kudu or giraffes. For some the excitement was too much as they gazed at the animals.  

God’s great plans for the children
One of the highlights for me was the daily devotion time with the 20 boys I looked after in my dormitory.

Despite it starting at 6.00 am – having had only four or five hours sleep – it was a joy to tell these boys more about God.

We talked about the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis and how, although he was thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery, God still had a plan for his life.

The boys listened wide-eyed as they learnt that God had a wonderful plan for each of their lives and that he would never leave them, even if things weren’t easy for them.  

Please pray with us that over the next months and years, that God would reveal his good plans for each child on that camp.