A delayed post from June 25th

Hey Everyone,
We’re back at Ivanna’s now, getting ready for our two day trip to Lviv. We’re hoping there will be a few programs running at the YMCA while we’re there. It’s beautifully sunny and hot here in Lutsk, which is quite a drastic change from the weather in Swityaz. However, on the second last day of camp, we woke up to the sun shining bright, so all the kids had a chance to swim! It was perfect timing, because it was the last few hours that all the children would be there together since some of them were leaving for Lviv and Ternopol that afternoon. We had devotion on the beach, and then did body paint and played in the water for a couple of hours. Everyone enjoyed themselves very much.
It was sad to leave the camp yesterday and say bye to all of the new friends we had made, but at the same time it was good to see the children at the end of their camp experience and realise how far they had come since the first day. Mostly all of the children from the boarding school who had arrived with a distant and apprehensive attitude, had softened up and let down their guard. The camp at Swityaz was a place for them to feel loved and respected, and was a safe environment for them to open up and discover many things about themselves and the world around them. We were thanked many times for our contribution to the camp, but I feel like I came away with a new perspective and an immense amount of new knowledge as well. I plan to bring these new learnings and lessons back with me to Canada, and I’m sure it will allow for a more rich camp experience there.
This trip has been wonderful so far, I feel as though Dan, Ben and I work harmoniously together and are able to support each other here. This country is gorgeous and the people that we have met are nothing less than remarkable.
Analu