Karla

These past seven days have been the most rewarding, challenging (both emotionally and physically) and inspiring days I've had since I got here. Last Wednesday we welcomed an incredible mission team from St. John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, NY to campo. As an introverted and often shy person, especially in large groups, I unexpectedly found myself making connections with almost everyone in the 20 person group of adults and teenagers. It's amazing how quickly you can get to know people and build relationships within only a few short days of community living.

For the first time in my experiences here at camp we visited the stomping grounds of the children who came to camp for the weekend before they arrived; in this case they came from the Granada dump where the children don't actually live, but spend most of their days with their families picking through the trash to find re-sellable items (usually adding up to about $1 per day). Seeing exactly where these kids come from made our time with them so much more impactful... and heart-wrenching at the same time.

For this particular camp I was able to be a team leader, another first for me. This means staying in the cabins with the kids and leading a group of girls throughout their activities each day. I was also accompanied by two teenaged girls from the Buffalo team who truly put all of their heart and soul into loving the children, which made leading a group of hard-knock girls a little bit easier.

On the second and final night in the cabins many of the girls who had never been away from their parents in their lives were feeling pretty homesick. I forgot to mention that this group of kids ranged from the age of 4-14. The cabin this night was filled with sounds of tearful children and the soothing voices of the team trying to get them to sleep. When the cabin was finally still I noticed Karla, the oldest of the girls sitting upright in her top bunk silently brushing away tears. I climbed up with her and with the best Spanish I could muster up in my sleepy state I learned that she missed her parents and that this was her first time away from home. I asked her if she believed in God and she said yes and I asked her if she prayed, to which she also nodded her head. So for the first time ever I prayed with one of the campers. I gave her a big hug and we talked a little more until she said she was ok to go to sleep.

The next day Karla was filled with life and energy. She was my new buddy, at my side whenever she could but made sure to take part in the fullest during each activity. She probably went down the giant water slide that many of the girls feared at least 10 times, beaming with excitement and happiness. She was beautiful. I couldn't help but be proud for her parents at what an amazing girl she was. I wish they could have seen just how happy she was at camp.

When the time came for the kids to get on the bus and go home I thought like every other time the kids went home I'd be ok. Sad...but ok. This time Karla gave me the biggest, longest most heartfelt hug a kid at camp as ever given me. Then she got on the bus and was lost within the kids for a bit until she peeked through and smiled at me. And then I lost it. I still think about that moment and I still lose it. I miss her. She's one of the kids that I would love to find again somehow and be a part of her life... I don't know if that can ever happen. I am happy to know that she has a family that loves her and I can only pray that this weekend at camp was just as much an inspiration to her as it was to me.

p.s. The picture above is of two of the children that came to camp this past weekend looking out onto the Granada dump.