Vacation in Oaxaca

In the States, Spring Break has long gone. However, here in Mexico, we just had our spring break April 18th-29th. Spring Break is always during "Semana Santa" or Easter week. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we had 2 weeks off of school instead of just 1. I think I was more excited than some of the kids about the time off.
I spent the first week of vacation at a Christian family camp in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is 12 hours away from where I live and is very beautiful. The group of us who went to camp included: the doctor and his wife, 2 boys from the Esperanza home, 3 boys from the Bethel home, and 4 girls from my house. After spending 12 hours in a van together, we definitely felt like a family. My favorite part about the camp in Oaxaca was that we slept in tents. This brought back fond memories of family camping trips when I was younger. There's nothing like a bonfire, millions of stars, the sounds of the night, and the sound of rain beating on the tent. (While I really enjoyed sleeping in a tent, I'm going to have to introduce my friends to the concept of an airmattress. Sleeping in a tent with only a blanket underneath is not the most comfortable thing.) The four girls from my house and I all shared a tent and I really cherished our time together at night. We always had fun telling stories, singing, and just being goofy. One night, it was raining hard and there was a lot of thunder. One of the girls was scared and slept with her arms around my neck for awhile. That's when I really felt like a mom. Because this camp was a family camp, there were people of all ages. This created a really interesting dynamic and I enjoyed seeing kids, adults, and grandparents playing games together. There was also a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds represented at the camp, ranging from old women dressed in traditional clothing to young teenagers dressed in the latest fashions. Most of our time at camp was spent in Bible classes or in church-type services. Each night during the worship service, there was an opportunity for campers to share a song or a testimony. Our group from Ninos de Mexico decided to present a drama one night called the "Sin Chair." It's about a boy who decides to sit in a chair labeled "sin" and after sitting down, he can't get up. Various people try to help him get out - athletes, a nerd, witches (I was a witch), a drunk, a druggie, etc. But the only people who can help him are a pastor and his wife. The drama was very powerful and there were a lot of tears shed, both by those of us who were acting and those who were watching. That night, 8 people came forward to accept Christ and be baptized - Praise God!
After spending Monday through Friday at camp, we headed to the beach on Saturday. It was a great way to end our vacation - sun, swimming, and fun. I really enjoyed spending an extended period of time with a smaller group of our kids. Seriously, they are the best!