Hello! We are in Parnu at the Agape Methodist Church and they have somewhat high speed internet. As you may have guessed from the lack of emails, the internet at camp gideon is not really working. Artur's wife Valentina tried very hard to get it to work on her laptop, but the phone line would drop every time I started an email. I will try and update as well as I can, but am going to be sort of brief so I can send the email before any connections fail! We had the most wonderful week at camp! Our team stayed all together in two rooms near the dining hall, which is different from years past because we usually sleep in the lodge in separate rooms. We had the six ladies in one room and the four guys in the other and shared a small kitchen. We have all decided that this was a blessing because we were close to the campers and closer to each other. We used some sidewalk chalk to set up some four square games and things got pretty competitive.
This was youth camp rather than children's camp so the campers were high school age. They had small group time and recreation and worship, just like at home only in Russian! The staff was also amazing, they had such a heart for the youth in estonia. Recreation was the
most complicated and competitive stuff I have ever seen. Basketball, volleyball, soccer, skits, relays on the beach, water balloons....we did it all. Then immediately afterwards was crafts, dinner, service that lasted about three to four hours. Estonians can sit still.
Thursday evening some of us went down to the lodge because they were holding a prayer service for anyone who wanted to stay up late and pray. It was such an incredible experience. Students were pouring out their hearts and we prayed for them and with them. I feel like the Lord is doing something significant in the lives of these people, students and adults alike. Estonia is growing more influential and may certainly become a lighthouse for the rest of Northern Europe. We need to keep praying for men like Artur who have such a broken and willing heart. He and Valentina pray every morning at five AM for the church and the country. They have met God in some extraordinarily tangible ways. Its very cool and very humbling!
The biggest blessing for me has been friendships with the other campers. David, Rachel, Tiffany and I had so much fun being with them on the beach and hanging out with them like we had been friends for a long time. When I was here five years ago I met a boy named Pasha who became my little friend, we took a picture together that year and he was a foot shorter than me. He was here again at youth camp this year, now a foot taller than me and no longer a little boy. He and others were our special friends. We took another picture together so we can laugh at how we've changed.
We just got back from walking around Parnu and are resting up to go to the beach later. We are tired from all the Russian rappers and fireworks last night! haha! The ocean here is such a picture of God, its so big that you stand in awe, there's so much that you can't see, but also something that draws you in, you just have to jump in no matter how cold the water is!
I'm so sorry that the updates have not been regular, but if teams are going to be at camp it may just not work out! We will attend the worship service here in the morning and head back to Tallinn right afterwards. Mom, Meeli lives right down the street, so if I don't see her in the morning I will leave her note with the Pastor's wife here. Please pray for safe travel and rest, and now you can all begin praying for Rachel and I, maybe we are supposed to live here next summer!
Love you all and we'll see you in a few days! - Emily
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