It was with much anticipation (and a fair amount of tiredness!) that we landed in Nairobi, Kenya, after our long journey from Melbourne, Australia. None of us knew what to expect but we were all eager to begin our African experience! Picking us up at the airport were pastor Antonio Ndung’u and Kevin Olendo of the Nairobi congregation.

With the relief of connecting with our contacts we packed up the four-wheel-drive and drove through the hectic and chaotic streets of the city to a local member’s house. Nicholas Mboya introduced us to his family, and we settled in. Over the next few days we got to see some of the sights in Nairobi and strengthen our friendships with the Mboya family before once again packing up and driving cross-country to the southwestern part of Kenya.

Here we met the West Kenyan Pastor John Otieno Owak and travelled to a different congregation each day before camp to enjoy a Bible study and a meal with the brethren. We visited the Got Kachola group who live on the edge of Lake Victoria, and we also travelled to the Ochuna church (near the border of Tanzania) and ate a delicious chicken dish replete with whole chicken heads!

At the camp site (which was the school grounds and buildings of the JohJan LifeNets Academy) we soon became an instant hit with the staff and campers alike. During the very first night of camp—as the campers were still arriving from all over the country despite the heavy rain—the Australian Youth Corps participants found themselves in a room with over 40 new friends having a great time working with the language gap and getting to know our soon-to-be students. There couldn’t have been a better way to break the ice on a stormy night with simply a blackboard, some chalk and a room full of fun personalities. The number of campers ended up totalling 114!

Alexander Love (Melbourne East member) taught the photography class with two cameras, up to 25 students in a class and no interpreter. If there is one thing kids in Africa love it is playing with cameras. Alex made sure he covered good fundamental photographic theory in order to give them the skills to take out into the field during the practical sessions. They really got their artistic eye in quickly!

Samantha Thomson (Melbourne East member) took the newspaper class. Girded with experience from running this class in the Australian camp, confidence was high that a quality publication was to ensue. After learning about descriptive writing and having the inspiration poured into them by Samantha’s fun teaching techniques, the campers set to work crafting their articles so that their memories of UCG Camp 2011 would be recorded for posterity.

Laura Watson (Melbourne East member) was ecstatic to be taking the kids under her wing and teaching them about hygiene. Getting back to basics, Laura took her students on a roller coaster ride of washing hands, brushing and flossing teeth and why it is good to shower regularly. Diet also featured as an element in the class, and the campers were keen to learn how to keep themselves happy and healthy with their food intake.

Stuart Packer (Melbourne East member)  took the computer class and set about teaching the campers—the majority of whom had never even seen a computer before—how to turn on/off the machine safely, start programs, type and save their work. At times it was an uphill battle when the electricity would abruptly cut out, instantly halting our progress, but it was all worth it to see the happiness and satisfaction that they gleaned from learning new skills and accomplishing set directives.

During free time throughout the day, we could casually spot campers doing their own laundry, helping in the kitchen and even killing and preparing the chickens for dinner. It was a place where everybody was most pleased to chip in and get the jobs done. They had a campfire almost every night, and these afforded them the opportunity to get to know each other very well and form strong bonds that would last the distance until they would next meet again, possibly not until the next youth camp.

Saying goodbye to the friends we had made as camp came to a close was not an easy task. Many of them had really started to warm up to us and speak openly about their lives. They also had many questions for the Aussies, as there was much to discover about where we came from as well.

Back on the road and we were off on a genuine African safari in the Masai Mara! We spent two nights near the National Reserve and during the day found ourselves using our eagle eyes to spot (nearly) all of the creatures that are unique to that continent. Amongst others, we saw lions, hippos, giraffe, buffalo, zebras, cheetahs, gazelle, a hyena and a leopard! We even managed to get very close—within metres—to a parade of elephants when they wandered right over to our van!

The four of us were blessed to have had the opportunity to have such an amazing, exciting, humbling and safe time in Africa. The people we met, places we visited, activities we participated in and yes, even the animals we saw, will linger in our hearts and minds for years to come. We all realize that not everybody gets to do what we were afforded to do and would like to thank everybody that helped to make it a reality for us. Most of all, it was encouraging to spend time with our African brethren and get to know them during our time there. We feel honored to have had the chance to serve them and recommend anybody thinking of travelling over there to go for it and enrich themselves and the African members just as we were able to.