NOTE: There are several movies in this post so it might take a little longer to load.
If you have read the previous posts you have seen the word camp used. The camp had two main purposes.
- To let the older TLP kids use their training in leadership skills to practice those skills.
- To provide the school kids with an experience involving another group including the American team.
The roughly 250 school kids would be divided into 4 groups by age. The groups would rotate between a story time told by an adult, a craft activity led by our group, and 2 game times led by TLP kids.
We had stopped our little caravan a few hundred yards short of the school and Schaun had emphasized to the TLP leaders that they need to embrace the leadership role and not get involved as participants with the students. He also said to expect the school kids to be skeptical when they first encountered us.
We drove up to the school and began unpacking. The kids were interested, but clearly not especially excited. After we had unpacked every thing, the principal gave the word and the kids lined up by age. You can see in the picture to the right they weren’t entirely sure about what was going to happen, just as Schaun had predicted.
The school kids did a welcome number for us. Below is a short excerpt.
After some formal welcomes and thank you, Schaun begin to engage the school kids. With the help of the TLP leaders, he got their attention and they started having fun. It didn’t take long for the faces to change from uncertainty to pleasure as you can see from the picture on the right. I believe I speak for the team when I say that Schaun is brilliant with children. He engages them and teaches them, and never loses control
One of the things he did was a song “Making Melodies in My Heart”. I found after a bit of internet research that this is a Sunday School song (not one that I learned in my Sunday School days). He had everyone involved as the video below demonstrates. I chose this excerpt because it shows Kosi’s mom and Caroline having a great time.
The TLP leaders led the group in what is best described as a line dance to a song called “Deep Calls Out” by Bethel Music. They had performed it for us on welcome night and then we had practiced doing it with them. It is great fun. You can find versions of it on You Tube. Here is a short excerpt. You can see that the school kids are still learning.
Some of the TLP leaders performed a skit which was all about happiness. Ntombi did a great job as the happy girl.
The school kids were divided in to groups and headed off to their rotations. Jim is leading his younger children off to play games.
Zolecka asked me to take a picture of her group. I took a serious one and then she said let’s do a crazy one. The TLP leaders and the school kids had bonded well after only 90 minutes together.
Necklace making.
Left: Fun was the order of the day. Right: Lucky (the tall one) organizing games. Lucky is a great young man. 
The weather had gotten steadily worse and was threatening rain. It would have been an iffy drive out on the road in a heavy rain storm. So we called it a day early and headed back to our lodging. As we left many of the school kids waved goodbye to us. They were no longer skeptical.
All in all it was a great day. Most of the TLP kids did a great job. The crafts went well. The school kids had a great day (and got to go home early).