9th Arts and Crafts Camp, 3rd Basketball Camp
On January 16th Jerusalem Ministry held our 3rd annual basketball camp for 6th – 12th grade boys and then from January 17th-19th we held our 9th annual arts and crafts camp for 3rd-6th grade girls. We had 14 boys from two homes participate in the basketball camp and 44 girls from 9 different children’s homes participate in the arts and crafts camp. The 4 days of camp were wonderful and they were extra special for my staff because my parents were visiting Korea and were able to serve with us.
***This post is very long! It will start with a photo blog of the arts and crafts camp and then have some testimonies from the camp. After those will be a few pictures and stories from the basketball camp. I hope it all blesses you! For these camps we decided to not post all of our pictures on Facebook. A video from the camp will be posted in a few weeks after it is completed.
Per tradition all of our volunteers (52 including staff!) line up and welcome the girls in each morning. Often the girls will act like this is torture early in the camp but later begin to enjoy it. This picture was from the first morning though and it was neat to see a number of the girls smiling with open hearts from the very beginning.
At the beginning of the camp director Jee (2nd from the left) introduced the staff and helpers for the camp. Next to me are my dad and my mom who came out from America to join us for this camp. The kids enjoyed their presence and they were a great blessing to all of us. I’m so glad they were able to come out for it!
Kids smiling and laughing early on
One of the girls presenting her painted mailbox to everyone. She is talented!
Girls working together on a project
One of the younger girls showing off her clay creation
Da Heen from my children’s home with her volunteer Seung Kyung showing her little clay creation (Pikachu). We provided small glass jars for the kids to store their creations in.
After this craft we set up all their creations on display in the back and the girls and volunteers had some time of looking at each of them.
Some of these were really impressive!
In between crafts we would have lunch and then a game. Here is one table playing a game together.
Here is another table in the midst of one of the games. In this game they had to line up according to whatever director Jee called out. This picture looks like they are lined up by height.
This one was my favorite: they were lined up by the size of their mouth, smallest to largest. =D
Here are my parents with Sky and the three girls who attended from my children’s home: Eun Suh, Sun Ah, and Da Heen.
Vatos Urban Tacos staff visited our camp after a second successful “Pay It Forward” campaign where the restaurant paid for random customers meals and then gave the customer a chance to “pay it forward” by giving to our girls and also to another a great cause. For our girls they raised enough funds to purchase new shoes for each of them. This was a really special gift for them!
Whenever the Vatos staff called out a girl’s name to give them their shoes we had the girl and her volunteer attempt a “dab” dance move that has finally made its way to Korea.
One of the girls posing with her new shoes
On Day 3 the girls had a time of writing letters, getting their faces painted, and having nail art time with the volunteers. The fingernail painting time is always a very special time at our arts and crafts camps.
Throughout the camp we encourage the girls to be thankful and have a number of “compliment times.” By the last day the girls at this table had grown so comfortable receiving and giving compliments that they called over each of our staff and helpers to give us individual compliments. Here the table of sixth grade girls are giving compliments to my parents (with one of the volunteers translating). So sweet!
Due to large protest gatherings regarding South Korea’s impeached president, the ice skating rink at City Hall that we usually use had been closed down this winter. So instead we went to a sledding park a bit farther away. It ended up being a big hit with the girls!
The weather had been frigid in Seoul but on this particular day it wasn’t that cold at all. Praise the Lord!
Happy girls!
Along with the sledding we also had a cafe to ourselves where the girls and volunteers played games (Mexican dominoes here) or had fun just chatting with each other.
Group shot of our wonderful girls and our amazing volunteers
O
TESTIMONIES
This girl’s name is Miran and this was her last camp (she is going into junior high school this year).
Here is what one of our volunteers who has served for the past four camps shared about Miran: “Miran was one that was always special to me. (I was brought to tears when Jee mentioned that Miran asked if my sister Danbi and I were volunteering again!) She was actually the first girl I ever got to work with four years ago. The first time I met her, she had a hard shell. She did not want to take her jacket off, she kept her head down, and she didn’t really talk to me. She didn’t cause any trouble, but she wasn’t really responsive. The next year and the year after, I just continued to love on her. Through compliments, encouragements, and hugs, I did my best to make sure she knew I cared for her. I didn’t see drastic change year after year, but it was small, yet meaningful changes I saw that I knew the camps were making a difference in Miran. At the meetings and morning prayer times we always prayed that through the crafts the girls will see how special they are and I always loved the special messages behind each craft. When I think about Miran, I see that the prayers were answered. Through each craft, she did it with creativity and we can tell she’s so gifted. Camp after camp, I see how her confidence grew. When I first worked with her, she hated it when other teachers tried to see her crafts, but this year I saw her shyly smile whenever somebody complimented her on the side when they saw her crafts while in line or just passing by. She would come to me after she finished every craft to show me her crafts and she continuously came to me to just talk or be around me. I hope that it was really because she felt safe and loved around me.”
My staff and I all noticed the dramatic change in Miran and how safe and joyful she was with us. Here is a picture of Sky with Miran. Such a beautiful smile! 🙂
That volunteer continued with her sharing: “Not only Miran, but girls like Da Heen, Yoo Rim and Hee Jin, I got to see since they were 3rd or 4th graders. I see how much they’ve grown but I get blown away how they remember me and how they now approach me first. Some of them I was never in a group with but it really was the sweet and short interactions that were meaningful to the girls, but also to me. Da Heen was always shy but this year she approached me first! I remember last year Pastor JM told me she remembered me, and this was even a surprise because Da Heen didn’t talk to me a lot even though we were in the same group. But this year she approached me with the biggest smile and hug. Yoo Rim and Hee Jin I was never in a group with, so I got to just interact with them during lunch time or even whenever I had the chance, I would go to them and compliment their crafts. Also with Eun Suh, I only got to know her through this camp, but I had this strange attraction to her. She was so shy, but I knew she didn’t receive a lot of attention before. I did my best to joke around and show my love, and I felt like there was an ease and she opened up, smiling.
All these girls were not easy from the beginning. All of them were so sweet and very shy girls but a little bit awkward towards all the attention they were receiving. I knew even though for the three days they could be sweet and so tender hearted, it can look so different when they go back to their homes. To be honest, in the previous years, I has so much uncertainty and so many questions in my mind like “Am I making a change? Are these girls being impacted?”. Sometimes I did struggle thinking that there was nothing I can do. But my love for the girls really brought me to a greater place of knowing God’s truth and holding onto it. So I just continued camp after camp doing what I knew God put me there to do, all in faith and trusting that He is moving even though I cannot see it right away. And it was through these specific girls that I saw year after year, God is truly touching the girls deeply through the camps. It took time, but He did and still is touching them, one camp after another.”
For one of these girls her dorm mom shared her journal entry after the camp. An excerpt from it read, “At this camp I became much closer with the volunteers and made friends with the other girls. I also learned how to love Jesus.” So sweet!
Eunsuh with volunteer Eunbi
Eunbi holding up Da Heen
Sharing from another volunteer: “My table consisted of two new volunteers, a volunteer that is really good with the girls (she lives at one of the homes), myself, and four sixth graders. To be honest, there was a good minute I took looking over to the other tables that had third and fourth grade girls that were really cute, small, quiet, sitting nicely, and well behaved. Usually, the sixth graders are more difficult given that puberty hits and they come in with a too-cool-for-school attitude. But all envy aside, I was ready to love hard and strong no matter the grade, type, personality, and story.
The first day, Dabin from our table came in cursing. I knew she was excited inside, but left and right, she cursed about anything and everything – about the chair, the noise level, the number of girls, and even the room temperature. Tae, a volunteer that is amazing with the girls sat with her and even before confronting Dabin about her behaviour, she asked Dabin questions and made comments, genuinely showing interest. Pastor JM mentioned during the training of how these girls rarely get compliments or comments on their good behaviour. Rather, they get disciplined, confrontations, and warnings based on their bad behaviours. Of course Tae made sure to be firm and strict later on, but she treated Dabin like someone that is worth getting to know rather than a student who is rebelling and is in need of discipline. I know that the order of the volunteer’s interaction and being relational before being confrontational was what opened Dabin’s heart. By the end of the day, Dabin was more careful and aware of her bad habit and even apologized when ugly word slipped out of her tongue.
Eunsuh, a gentle and quiet girl was my partner this camp. Eunsuh was also in my group last year, but before I saw the photos from last year and matched the names to the list from last camp, I forgot that we were in the same group. To be honest, I felt ashamed and sorry for not remembering her. Initially, I justified myself by saying that it was difficult to give Eunsuh attention because the other girls in the group were very tough while Eunsuh was well behaved. But this is exactly what these girls go through daily. Unless you are the trouble maker at home, you rarely get time alone with the dorm parents. While taking care of the ones that were cursing, misbehaving, running off, and not eating… I rarely noticed Eunsuh who was doing amazing, cleaning up, staying quiet, and helping others. I lost all my energy running around and talking/explaining why so-and-so should not do whatever they were doing that I had no energy left to engage with Eunsuh, the one that was being good. When I heard stories of the dorm parents that were not very intentional, I often looked down on them. There are families with many children that have loving parents, why couldn’t the dorms parents do the same? But after realizing what happened to Eunsuh, I realized how difficult it actually is and there should be no room for criticism and judgement. I could not blame the dorm mums and dads for lacking intentionality and relational hearts toward these girls because I was doing the same. I know this incident did not occur simply to condemn me or simply teach me a lesson. I really felt as if God was helping me to grow a bigger and wider heart to hold not just the “bad” ones, but the others too. This camp, although we were partnered up, I got to know all four girls in my group. It did not feel like I had to chase down girls or as if I gave my time and energy only to one girl, but it felt as if I was capable of loving more than I personally thought I could ever love.”
Here is a picture of Eunsuh (from my children’s home!) and her volunteer Danbi before saying goodbye
During this camp four of our Oak Tree Project students (www.oaktreeproject.com) served as volunteers. My staff and I were so proud of them! The girls at the camps aren’t easy to serve and require a lot of patience and love because of their scars and hurts. Two of our Oak Tree Project students had to leave the room at different times during the camp to cry because of the way the girl they were paired with was treating them. My staff and I would go out and comfort them and encourage them. One of our students, after composing herself, exclaimed in amazement, “How have you guys served these girls for nine years?” We had to laugh and we teased her, “Now you know how we feel.” Our students all finished well and some of them experienced deeper healing in their own hearts as they were able to give back in serving the kids from the children’s homes and also see themselves in the girls as they served them.
Here is a picture of my staff, my parents, and our Oak Tree Project students who volunteered
Praise God for another successful arts and crafts camp! =D
BASKETBALL CAMP
The day before the arts and crafts camp we held our 3rd annual basketball camp. We had 14 boys from two children’s homes participate along with 9 male volunteers (and my staff and parents). Getting focused attention and encouragement from men is huge for the boys from the children’s homes, who are raised mostly by female social workers and rarely receive healthy male attention.
I opened up the camp with orientation and then said a prayer for us.
After an icebreaker of getting to know each others names we had a time of drills for the kids. Here is Won Bin shooting a lay-up.
With Sky and my parents during the camp
After the drills we had a time of 3 on 3 and then 5 on 5 games
It was great seeing the kids receive encouragement from the volunteers
Here are all of the staff, volunteers, and students. It was a great camp!
A tradition for the basketball camp is enjoying a big meal of chicken and pizza together afterward. Always a great time!
One testimony from the camp: One of the boys, Won Bin, is extremely timid, so much so that he tried to skip his junior high graduation the previous week. During the camp he was his silent self and tried to avoid attention. I had some good friends serving as volunteers and they were very encouraging for all of the boys, including Won Bin. Towards the end of the camp we had the boys play 5 on 5 full court and it was great seeing them all try hard and grow in confidence. We were all cheering wildly on the side. Late in the game Won Bin shot the ball pretty far from the hoop and made a great shot. We all yelled his name and as he turned around we saw a smile creep up on his face. In his shyness he looked at the wall opposite us as he ran up the court but he couldn’t hide his joy. Later as we were leaving Sky heard him speak to another boy and say, “That was fun.” For a boy of few words, that meant he really really enjoyed the camp. =) We were happy to see the joy and confidence of the boys increase through the camp. Praise God!
