Glowing

The first ever GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp for Southern Province was a huge success-so much so that we are already looking to have another at the end of the April school break. We had 16 girls from 16 different villages and it was awesome to see them grow in the few days we had them. A bit shy and reserved at first by the end of the week we could not get them to sleep. Lucky for me I sacrificed and went first at cabin duty! I was sleeping soundly the last night while the other Peace Corps volunteers were struggling to communicate to the girls that they really did need to sleep at some point!

To all of you who supported this even, either through prayer or financial contributions-thank you so much! Your support allowed each girl to have a once in a lifetime adventure. Our first night at camp I was walking with a girl, Phyllis, a 9th grader from Namywanga Village. She was explaining to me that her aunt was being buried that next morning. When I asked her why she wasn’t going to be there she responded by saying, “My auntie is already gone. But the things I will learn at this camp can change my life…and I can teach those things to my friends.” No doubt there are times in my experience here where things seem totally pointless and I’m ready to change the Peace Corps slogan from “the hardest job you’ll ever love” to “the longest vacation you’ll never understand.” This however was not one of those moments.

I have done my share of youth events over the years. Most of the CCR kids and some of the adults (sorry Zane) have scars to prove it. I can honestly say that this was one of the most rewarding camps for which I have been involved. From listening to the girls share “The Me I Want to Be,” to watching them problem solve how to untangle themselves from a huge knot, to laughing at their portrayal of adolescent boys’ pick up lines---it was a joy to be a part of this camp. We were also able to enjoy a great home cooked meal (including Ranch dressing!!!) and viewing of the classic underdog story, “Rudy”, thanks to a missionary family (the Gregersens) that live near the school where we held the camp. It was awesome to see how God worked that out to bring joy to the girls and to the Peace Corps Volunteers!

Again, thanks so much! Continue to pray with me as these girls move forward to lead their peers, their communities, and hopefully one day their country, Zambia.