A Fruitful Summer at Espwa

Today at Pwoje Espwa, we kicked off summer camp – “kan ete a” – with love! Over the next 8 weeks, the children and staff at Espwa will be participating in a variety of fun activities while exploring the values of the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Love

Charity

Generosity

Patience

Kindness

Modesty

Self-Control

Goodness

Gentleness

Faith

Joy

For our staff, the goal of this new summer program is to provide the children at Pwoje Espwa formation in four different categories: independent living/community service, spiritual/moral development, job exploration, and sports/activities.

Each week of camp will have a theme that focuses on one or two of the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The kids are split into three different teams by age group: Butterflies (ages 3-7), Panthers (ages 8-13), and Eagles (ages 14-18).

Here's what a day at camp - Monday through Saturday - will look like on campus this summer:

·      Every morning of the week, a staff member will lead all of the children in a discussion centered on the week’s theme.

·      After the morning meeting, the Butterflies and the Panthers will split into their age groups to participate in an activity that carries on the message of the morning’s discussion. At this time, the Eagles will have the ability to rotate between different “internships” at departments around campus.

·      Later on, all of the kids have the ability to choose an activity for the duration of the morning. These range from arts & crafts, dance, chorale, sports/physical activity, computer class, and English lessons.

·      They will gather again in the afternoons for Bible study/discussions on morality, a movie, a talent show, or a soccer game.  

What did we do today?

While much of the morning covered a general explanation of the camp schedule and the staff’s expectations for the summer, it also included a whole lot of fun!

The first fruit we placed on our Tree of the Holy Spirit – 

“Pyebwa Lespri Sen an” – was Love! 

Together we talked about what love is – 

“sharing everything you have with one another,” 

“love makes your heart happy,” 

“love makes you live” – 

and what love looks like when you share it with others – 

“hugs,” 

“union,” 

“giving your hand."

After our discussion on love, the kids learned how to say “I love you” in sign language and smothered each other in hugs. They were then able to choose their very first activities of camp – campus was pulsing with energy as kids were drawing and painting, playing soccer, singing loudly, counting to 10 in English, and sharing smiles. 

It was a warm start to a love-filled week, and a full summer! We are excited to have the collaboration of our diverse and talented staff as they work closely with the kids over the upcoming months to provide them with a summer of fun, learning and exploration.

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