Push The Rock Team Trip 2018 Update #5
Day 2 of camp is generally one of our favorite days. The kids have more energy and are more comfortable with the team. We began the day with group pictures which most of the coaches took silly photos. The sportsmanship thought of the day centered around determination. The kids were challenged to pick a skill and work at getting better at that skill during the week. Following a couple of hours of doing basketball drills, the kids spent time in a spiritual station that highlighted one of Jesus’s miracles from the Gospel of John. After lunch, the kids were put through an obstacle course. The course was part of a spiritual skit centered around God’s guidance. The kids would finish the day scrimmaging against each other. One of the coaches shared his testimony to close the day. He talked about about the hopelessness that was found in the game of basketball and the hope he found in God. After camp, the team spent some time together for Team Time. We discussed the Fourth Commadement (Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy) and the importance to find rest. Following Team Time, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and fellowship at one of the missionaries home.
It’s Hump Day, but most importantly, we get to celebrate Independence Day in Italy. All the kids wore crazy socks (a PTR tradition). We also got to hear them sing the Italian National Anthem. We followed up by singing the US Anthem. All in all, it set the tone for today’s sportsmanship thought; Enthusiasm. The kids really practiced enthusiasm thought the day of camp. Like the other days, a coach shared his testimony. He stated that he could never find satisfaction in the world until he embraced the perfections of Christ. This was a great ending to the camp day. At night, the team participated in a game against former campers. The campers won the game but it was a good time see many of the kids who have been a part of Push The Rock Italia for numerous years. We would end the night eating pizza with some of the guys.
Today (6/5) was a rough day, we were asked by the other summer camp taking place at the school we are having the camp at to have 85 of their kids be a part of our schedule. One of the coaches agreed to doing sports drills with the kids from the other camp as long as they are divided into groups of 20. This would allow him to host a group for an hour throughout the day. The other coaches did a good job maintaining the same schedule for the basketball campers. The staff from the other camp were very grateful for us assisting them and it provided Push The Rock another opportunity to meet other kids. Moreso, that several kids stated that they would love to attend a Push The Rock camp next year. The camp day ended with one of the missionaries sharing his testimony which included finding purpose in his career and family but never being satisfied until finding Christ. Following camp, we were invited to dinner at another missionaries home. We would be joined by a former missionary family that Push The Rock has partnered with in the past. It was great catching up with them and hearing how much Push The Rock has grown and helped the local church expand its reach in Mestre.
It is hard to believe that today (7/7) is the last day of camp. It seems like we just got to Mestre and started building relationships with the kids. We challenged the kids to work as a team and to get everyone involved. We centered the camp day around team challenges and games. The kids really enjoyed working together and it was encouraging to see them display teamwork. During the spiritual portion, the kids would hear about the life Jesus gives us if we believe in Him. The kids would also do a series of puzzles focused on two verses from John. The last testimony shared by a coach was perfect for the conclusion of camp. She discussed the struggle of believing because others believed. It wasn’t until she became older that she heard the Lord speak to her. She made a decision that she wanted to make her faith her own and how it’s important not to let the pressure of family or others keep you from making a life changing decision. Although camp was officially over, we would see many of the kids and their parents later that night at our closing ceremony. It was a great time to share with the parents about the local church and who Push The Rock is. One of the coaches shared his testimony and why he is serving in Italy for the next year. The parents and kids really enjoyed themselves and thanked all of us for the week. We finished the night taking pictures, talking, and enjoy refreshments.
For our last full day (7/8) in Italy, we spent a couple hours debriefing. It was a great time discussing our experiences, encouraging one another, and praying. Afterwards, we would head to Venice. The team would doing some shopping as we wanted to get gifts for our supporters. We also took the water Bus through the Grand Canal. We were amazed by the beautiful scenery that can only be seen on the water. Following our trip to Venice, the team would enjoy a quick nap before heading to a local pizzeria in which we would have dinner with 40 kids and parents from the camp. It was a great time of fellowship and getting to know the parents personally. To conclude the night, two of the coaches would do the “Kilo Challenge”. This challenge includes eating a kilo of gelato as fast as you can. Both coaches would finish the kilo in approximately 25-30 minutes. It was pretty impressive and fulfilling for the coaches. The team would say its last goodnight to each other as two of the members would be flying back Sunday morning.
