Back in Ouagadougou

The camp finished on Friday and we are now back in Ouagadougou and staying at SIM, the same place we stayed prior to camp. This time around they have us in apartments as opposed to rooms. The difference means we have small living and dining areas for each the men’s and women’s apartments. We made it back at 5:00 PM on Friday. After getting into our rooms and dropping off our bags, we immediately went to the International School of Ouagadougou (ISO) restaurant. Everybody was very pleased to have food that we were used to again. We stuck around the restaurant an extra long time to savor the food and to also enjoy dessert. After dinner it was laundry time, as well as a chance to sit around and catch up on email and reading. Saturday was reasonably relaxed as we went to the Artisan’s Village which is a collection of artist’s shops with all very nice products. A few things were bought but it was mostly time for ideas for a return visit right before we leave. Joseph then took us to a part of Ouagadougou which is being developed as well as an ice cream shop. One surprise from the day was that we were in air conditioning on three different occasions. Prior to today, I had only experienced air conditioning once in Burkina.

The camp ended not very different from youth camps which I have worked at in the United States, except this one went late. In the afternoon we had a “Ceremonie” which was held in the main chapel at the camp facility (all of our other meetings were held in a classroom). Included in the Ceremonie were guests involved in the Navigators ministry in Burkina Faso, as well as the pastor who is in charge of the camp facility. A large portion of the Ceremonie was dedicated to providing a history and summary of the Navigators ministry locally and across World. Joseph also shared during the Ceremonie the “Proclaimers Radios”, which are audio bibles which operate on batteries charged by solar or an AC adapter. We brought 11 Proclaimers Radios with us on this trip in three different languages. A large portion of the Ceremonie was intended to include skits and music performed by the different camper groups. In the end there was only one group which was able to perform. The rest were pushed into the evening. The evening ceremony included the final message by the camp speaker, an introduction of all the campers in reference to the locations across Burkina Faso from which they traveled, as well as a slide show put together by us. Mixed in with all of that was a large amount of singing and dancing. By the time all of the above was done, it was after 11:00 PM. Then it was time for the performances by the different groups. That last until past 1:15 AM. We would find out the next day that we were supposed to be done with all activities by 10:00 PM.



I have mentioned before that we brought with us a number of small gifts which we had planned to give to the campers. We were uncertain as to what exactly the camp would be like, our roles in the camp, and the needs of the campers. Along the way, we did what we could to collect from family and friends, and I know many of you shared in your wealth with us. The most common items which we had included: new or gently-used t-shirts, coloring books, baseball caps, bandanas, pencils, coloring markers, and some games. On a couple occasions we unpacked all that we had brought and tried to make decisions as to how to distribute. At the camp we talked with Joseph and he suggested the gifts be given to the campers coming from the rural area who are of greatest need. We liked this idea. We then met with Wendibe, the director of the youth bible camp, and showed him what we had. On the last full day after breakfast he called out the names of about 15 girls. They were brought down to one of our huts and able to each make a selection from a variety of piles. Later in the day the same was done with the boys. It was great to see and realize that we were able to provide help to those with the greatest needs.



All of us received numerous requests for our email, address, and even phone numbers. This was especially true during the last 24 hours of the camp, and even more so in the initial three hours that we were waiting to leave the camp. Sometimes I refer to this phase of the camp as “camp talk”. I am referring to all of the statements and expectations about staying in contact after camp is over, which never happens. As I was talking with the students I was realizing that it is even truer with this camp, not because they lack the intent, but instead that they lack the means. I can think of Esther who was in my group. During the last couple days she went from being extremely quiet and shy to being much more open and talkative, including talking with other leaders. While waiting for their bus ride she was talking to me and one of the other leaders. During this time we were also taking pictures with Esther. Esther was asking me for my phone number as she does not have an email address. Then she asked me for an email address saying that she will get an email address. The truth is that it is highly unlikely that I’ll ever hear from Esther. Esther was one of the campers identified by the camp director as coming from a rural area and in need of basic supplies. Therefore, she was included in the campers who were able to select a t-shirt, bandana/hat, composition book, pencil, etc. that we had brought with us from the U.S. to the camp. Later she came back to us to see if we had an extra French New Testament as well as extra pencils. Even if Esther has access to a phone, it would be far too expensive to call. Even if she was able to create an email account, her access to that email would likely be slim to none. I am sure we will here from some students. There were even a few who talked about finding us on facebook. However, all of these forms of communication are likely living beyond the means for a large number of the campers.