Camps

Kids Across Africa Soccer Camp 2008

Have you ever been to camp? Well check this out! Summer of ’08, Kids Across Africa hosted their first ever Camp in Rwanda to kids who had never been to camp before! Over 150 Rwandan youth, who had never experienced such fun, had the time of their lives for a week. And not only that, but over 30 of those kids made decisions for Christ that week! It was a blast! Read a little bit more about it and check out the pictures!
DAY 1: NO SHOES!! The Soccer camp took place in Northwest Rwanda in a district known as Musanze. The first day of camp was full of surprises. Over half of the kids that came did not have any shoes to play soccer in! Most of the kids coming for camp packed their things in a small plastic bag like the ones you might find at Target or Wal-mart. It was easy to see through each of their bright eyes that they were excited to be at a Christ-centered Christian sports camp. Good times were ahead!

DAY 2: RAIN!! Although rainy season in Rwanda wasn’t till later, heavy rains hit us on the first day. No worries though…we broke up into stations. One group, lead by the Rwandan Women National Soccer Coach was taught the fundamentals of the game of soccer in a large meeting room at Sonrise School(www.mustardseedproject.org). Another group had a juggling contest in the concrete halls of the school while the third group played Speed Charades! You’ve never seen hippo impersonations until you’ve been to our soccer camp!

DAY 3: OUR FIRST FULL DAY OF SOCCER!! Rwandan kids are AMAZING at soccer. Their foot skills are advanced, their spacing on the fielded is well coached, and their attitudes to win are determined. It was a privilege to encourage the kids each day with how to be a total athlete in God’s eyes. We talked of what it means to be a balanced Christian socially, physically, mentally and spiritually each day (Luke 2:52).
DAY 4: K-LIFE!! Each night, our camp had what we call K-LIFE! (In the Rwandan language, we called it “K-UBUZIMA”) Our meetings together were filled with skits and games, testimonies and the gospel message. On the fourth night, we spoke of Christ’s work on the cross for our sins. After the meeting, the coaches/counselors lead devotionals in their rooms and many kids came to Christ. Those same kids are being discipled in their communities by the coaches/counselors of our camp strengthening the local church and multiplying their lives into other people for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Praise the Lord!

DAY 5: AWARDS CEREMONY!! 14 years ago, Rwanda experienced the darkest 100 days known to this world. One million people were slaughtered in 100 days. This is what is known as the “Rwandan Genocide of 1994”. The soccer stadium in which we held our awards ceremony was a gathering place in 1994 for many acts of genocide. To be precise, 100,000 people were murdered on that same field! Even though it is hard to comprehend those numbers, it is also unbelievable to think that 14 years later, a Christian Sports Camp would be proclaiming the good news on that same ground. God receives all the glory. The awards ceremony honored community officials, governmental representatives, Bishop John Rucyahana, and all of the kids and coaches that participated in the camp. Hundreds of people from the community came to watch. It was a wonderful way to close a great camp!