That was the opening of our first letter from Laurie. Each morning begins promptly at 5:30 a.m. (except Sundays, when the kids are allowed to sleep in till 6:30). Can you imagine a teenager during summer vacation up at 5:30 a.m.? I have so much respect for these kids, who are living in tents, sleeping on the ground, and training hard all day for such skills as bricklaying, carpentry, digging, and laying concrete.
There isn't much personal time at boot camp. After an afternoon sponge bath from a bucket filled with water hand pumped from an in-ground well, the kids put on their fresh clothes for the next day before going to sleep, so they can just roll out of bed at the 5:30 wake up call. They're all scratching at mosquito bites and enduring blisters formed from long days wearing leather work boots. Tropical Storm Debby drenched boot camp for several days last week, and many of the kids slept with puddles inside their tents. At least I assume they slept despite the strong winds and heavy rain.
And yet, when we watch the live feed of the worship rally each night (4:15 p.m. Pacific), we see happy faces, including Laurie's! Here's more from Laurie's recent letter.
Loving boot camp isn't the point. The point is trusting God and remembering that a lot of the world lives like this, and not voluntarily. Still, this is really hard. It's funny, because I knew exactly what to expect about the lifestyle. It's myself I didn't know enough about.
Boot camp lasts another week, and the team flies out to Zambia July 8th. I suppose life in Africa will seem like a breeze after boot camp. Every night at the rally we hear the kids chanting the countdown to their missions destinations: Eight more days! Eight more days! Even with mosquito bites and blisters and achy muscles, these teens are excited for the adventure (and hardships) ahead.
If you'd like to write to Laurie while she's away, you can contact me at lisa@lisaohlenharris.com and I'll reply with contact information and restrictions.
—Lisa
(Laurie's mom)
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