Transformations in Grahamstown

My apologies for picture quality, but so far, the only Internet access I have is through my phone. The illustrations may be a little blurry, but I hope the feelings come through clearly.

Below are Akhona (who was previously pictured singing the national anthem) and his counselor, Marty. They are intently watching the game which unfortunately turned into a loss for the home team to Uruguay last night. There is, however, still a winning story to be told. Akhona had never spent a night away from home before Reading Camp and told us from day one that he was NOT staying a week. He said he had to be home to watch Bafana Bafana play and gave us a running countdown of the hours before he was leaving. Marty had once experienced homesickness himself and took Akhona gently in with patience and understanding. Though a new counselor, Marty found a perfectly balanced combination of allowing Akhona to "cling" just enough to feel safe while encouraging him to stick it out. It has been amazing to watch Akhona's transformation from a glum and reluctant camper to the smiling, winking, and much more confident boy we see today.

Reading is, of course, at the core of why we're here, but whether in KY or South Africa, it is consistently the relationships and confidence developed at Camp which allow both progress in skills and produce the lasting transformations in young lives.

- Mary Jane Amick, member of St. Raphael's, Lexington,
is in Grahamstown serving at their Reading Camp

Mission House in Pictures Part II

Mission House in pictures

Observations of Reading Camp

"We visited the students from Harrison Elementary who are enrolled in 'Reading Camp' today. WOW!!! They love it! They don't even realize they're learning :).
Keep up the wonderful work you're doing."

- Toni Brown, MSW
- Laura von Epps, MSW
Harrison Elementary

Reading Camp in South Africa celebrates the World Cup!

Reading Camp continues in Grahamstown, South Africa, and what an exciting time to be at camp! The whole country is excited about the World Cup, and the campers and staff came together to cheer on South Africa before the big game!

A short message from Mary Jane Amick, member of St. Raphael's in Lexington, who is in Grahamstown, South Africa for Reading Camp:

"Singing the national anthem before the game. Popcorn, ginger beer, the Waka Waka and a gazillion S Africa flags. We'll have a lot of pooped kids in the AM, but this truly is a once in a lifetime for them! Let's hope the second half goes better!"

Out and about with Mission House Reading Camp

Learning centers continue to be fun, colorful places to learn:



On Tuesday afternoon, campers and staff visited the Lexington Police Department's Mounted Police division. Campers met the policemen who ride the horses, protecting downtown Lexington.

They also got to learn how the horses are trained. In the arena, the officers demonstrated how the train the horses not to be startled by the sounds of traffic and other downtown activities:

Reading Camp is a blast!

A great Monday afternoon at Mission House Reading Camp

Monday, June 14

We were at the Explorium - a children's musuem in downtown Lexington and some of the campers were investigating the horse exhibit. (We are using the horse theme this year at Mission House - so that worked out perfectly!) After I helped one of the children hop up onto the model horse, I was showing her how to steer. Gabby's eyes suddenly lit up and she exclaimed, "Oh! I know this! We read about this in a book this morning!"

It gave me a moment to smile and think how wonderful Reading Camp is - not only for the instruction provided in the morning but also for the rich real-world experiences the children get from field trips in the afternoon.

-Tracy Ellis, Mission House Reading Camp co-director, and member of Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington.

And they're off!

From Mission House Reading Camp, Monday morning:
Kids reading in the Pleasure Reading center with volunteers and Doogan, the reading dog!


Volunteers Virginia and Peggy with campers in the Phonics center.

Journaling away in the Writing Center.

Camp co-director Tracy with volunteer Phyllis.

Smiling faces as the campers write stories about themselves and get to know their teacher, Tony.

It's a colorful world as campers and teachers play games, write stories, read books, and get to know each other.

Counselors Rob and Hannah from Church of the Resurrection, Jessamine County.

Having too much fun with interactive storytelling in the Reading Comprehension center.


Stories, photos, and much more to come from Mission House! Stay tuned.

The transformation begins!!!

The volunteers for Mission House Reading Camp met and began planning this past Thursday, and over the weekend, Mission House started to transform!



The theme for Mission House Reading Camp is "Horses," which you can see from the banners on the floor in the pictures:










Camp co-director Charlie Dalton worked on hanging a horse mural,



while other co-directors Ginger Sauls, Candice Lucas, and Tracy Ellis worked on camper forms, teacher responsibilities, and mapping out the transportation route for the week!

We look forward to a great camp - starting TOMORROW morning!

Keep the campers, teachers, counselors, and directors in your prayers this week as they have a wonderful camp. Check back here for pictures and updates from Mission House.