Rising Church in Pucallpa

"La Hora Loca," a praise music dance party

We flew into Pucallpa on Monday. Immediately embraced by the heat, we traveled to El Refugio de Esperanza (The Refuge of Hope). The next day, we got to go into a village off of the Ucayali River. We got the kids to play tag with us and then did Vacation Bible School. That day we made butterflies to represent how we are new creatures because God changes us. The same day, we went fishing for Piranhas. A few people in the group caught some! We also had an opportunity to go to a local zoo and hold anacondas on our shoulders. It was ridiculously scary! 

The next morning we went to the opening ceremony for the school. It was incredible to see how the students from Rising Church were so willing to get up and lead during the ceremony. Sadly, this was the only day that we were able to do Vacation Bible School with the kids who go to the school at El Refugio. We had a busy week ahead of us! 

The weekend we were there, El Refugio hosted a camp for children with special needs. Including camp counselors and our team, there were about 60 people present. The team worked really hard to take care of the kids and make sure that they had fun. Special Needs camp came packed with a festival, dance party, and a competition to keep groups active. The theme of the week was "The Love of God," and our goal was to teach all of the campers how much God loves them.

It was awesome to see how this team worked through their tiredness. This was their second week of missions, and personally I know how difficult that is. I am extremely proud of their leadership, their willingness to step up and look goofy with kids, and their persistent happiness that they showed at all times. 

- K.P., intern

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Playing games at camp