Girl’s Camp 2024
Such an original name, eh? A camp for girls. The ages we invited were 15-25, though some were younger, and a couple were older. They were all from Dagomba churches in Tamale like Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Nondenominational, Methodist, and Anglican. Samuel and Mary took charge. They went and handed out forms to all these different churches. They talked to the pastors and parents and answered questions. They called girls to tell them the schedule and what to bring. They thought about the details like extra toilet paper, a first aid kit with aspirin and sanitary pads, and handing out notebooks and pens.
When I say Camp you might be thinking outdoors, fires, lakes etc, etc, but it is more like a conference. We could’ve called it Girl’s Conference. It is mostly times to hear about God and grow in your walk with Christ. We had times for games, crafts, talks about reusable pads, menstruation and hygiene.
Reporting time was Thursday at 4pm but according to good Ghanaian time, which is much later than the stated time, some showed up later. Dinner was available from 6pm -7 and at 7:30pm the Welcome Session started. Samuel is a leader with the Presbyterian church. You have seen him in other videos and pictures of my ministry in Ghana. He is usually the brains and heart behind it all. He has such a heart for vulnerable people. Mary is from the Baptist church. She has come with Samuel and I in the past to visit widows. She is a leader in her church also. She has a lot of experience with youth conferences and camps and leading young women.
Friday morning at 5:30am was devotions, 5:30! AHHHHH!!!! I was leading. So, I was up earlier to set up the projector and go over my talk. The girls were on time!! I was shocked. Programs never start on time here. We had breakfast and a time to shower and get ready for the day after that. We all reported back for the morning session, which again was… ME! A few weeks ago, as I was thinking (and you all praying with me THANK YOU) about what to share in this time block, I had a chat with my mom on the phone. I was telling her what I was learning in my daily Bible reading in 2 Chronicles. God really encouraged me thru those chapters. My mom off offhandedly said, “Why don’t you share those things with the girls?” It made such sense! Yes! I usually try to share what God has shared and used in me. So, the main thrust for that session was 2 Chronicles 13:18, “Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD the God of their fathers.” I told the girls to put their own names in for Judah and have victory. I shared the stories around that verse and the following chapters. I shared different ways we can have growth in our relationship with Jesus like, reading our Bibles, obeying what it says, praising God, even in the midst of difficulties, using our gifts in church, being involved in church and prayer and having accountability. I had a couple gals come up and say they really learned a lot. As I spoke, I saw girls nodding their heads and it encouraged me to see they were understanding.
My colleague Bev came and did the next session. She spoke on who you are in Christ and sexual purity. It was great for girls to hear how worthy they are in God’s eyes. It was great to hear that they are created for a special purpose, and we pray they would not give into the pressure to have sex before they are married.
We had a bit of time before lunch and so Mary talked about reusable pads. There was a church in Georgia, USA, I was connected to when I was home last year, and they make reusable pads and sent me some! Pads here have a tax on them which makes it a bit expensive for some to buy. Mary showed them how to snap it around their panties and when to use the thicker insert and the thinner one. We invited a couple girls to come and practice to show that they understood. They were so excited to get their own bag and hopefully that reusable pad will last for over a year.
In the afternoon we invited an organization to come to lead the girls in games. The organization is called Sports Friends. They train church members to use sports to share the Gospel. They use it for evangelism. Sports ministry is a powerful tool used here in Tamale. If you bring out a ball, people will come! The leaders led our girls in different games like Simon Says, carry a lime on a spoon, water games, balloon games, and games where one was blindfolded. They used the games to teach a lesson. For example, the person blindfolded had to listen to her leader. But there were others around called distractors. They were yelling false directions. The blindfolded person had to listen to the leader to get around the obstacles while ignoring the distractors. It was a good lesson that in life we must keep our focus on Jesus because there are many distractions to lead us in the wrong ways.
After dinner we had a session led by a nurse from Tamale. I had never met her before, but she was voted best nurse at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. She is this tiny little thing who just bubbles out energy. There was an immediate connection between her and the girls. She was raised in Tamale and knew where the girls were coming from. She spoke on menstruation and our bodies. She talked about hygiene. She answered questions. She asked questions to the girls as well. She was thrilled to know they each got a pad bag because she knows that many young women cannot afford to buy pads in the stores.
Saturday morning, Mary led the devotion on being obedient to God. “Don’t just talk about God and be in church, but obey what He says”. Again, I was surprised at the girls being there on time at 5:30am!! It showed me they really wanted to learn. Before the camp started, I asked Mary about rebellious girls and how we would handle that and how would we watch them, and she gave suggestions. Thankfully, we did not have any difficult girls! We did not have to keep our eyes on them or worry about if they sneak out or are just sleeping in their rooms. I am sooooo thankful for this group of girls.
After they washed up and ate breakfast, two women came and shared with us. They use beads to make bags, decorate flip flops, make key chains, bangles etc, etc. They gave great instructions and walked alongside the girls as they started to create. It was a very well-timed session because this was our last session, and I could see girls were tired. This craft gave girls time to just sit with each other and be creative. I also joined in and made myself a bracelet with my Dagomba name, Wunizooya, which means, “God is great”.
We had time to wrap up and talk about what things they liked about camp. They all said they would come to another one. They also shared suggestions. I would say 100% would come again. Samuel, Mary and I looked at each other like, “we have to organize another one??!!!” Haaahaaa. No, we too also enjoyed the 3 days, and we are already planning for another one.
The meals. Of course, you know me, I have to talk about the food. It was delicious, plentiful, and on time! What a combo :) Ghanaian culture teaches respect to elders and those in authority. At meal time, when I saw a girl was finished, I would take her bowl to the kitchen. I got some horrified looks and girls trying to take the dishes away from me. I said, “hey, I wanna be like Jesus, let me serve.” They laughed. Well, a few meals later, a couple girls grabbed my empty plate and I tried to take it back and the one said, “hey, I wanna be like Jesus, let me serve.” How could I argue with that!?
The reason we could do this camp was because when I was home last year, I raised money for a project called Vulnerable Women in Ghana. The money used to pay for the venue, food, speakers, and activities came from that. If you were one who donated, THANK YOU!!! If you want to donate you can do so at https://www.simusa.org/give/ and click on give projects and put into the dropdown box Vulnerable Women in Ghana. Money is used for pads, helping widows with food, paying school fees, literacy training, physical needs for those struggling, buying animals for women, and things like a girl’s camp!
Samuel always talks about how important it is to feed both the spiritual part of people’s lives and also the physical. And working with him, we seem to accomplish both. The project plays a big part in that. Thank you for your prayers and financial support which makes you part of this also. You have made it possible for 50 girls to come together in a safe place and grow in their relationship with God. You have made it possible for girls to come together and pray, play, and create. I love serving a God who desires good things like this for His children.
I made a video highlighting the best parts…which was all of it. Ha Ha. Enjoy!!