Over the last year and a half that we’ve had our blog we’ve mentioned Jungle Camp numerous times, but never fully explained it. This summer we will be participating in Jungle Camp so we thought that we would take the time to clearly explain what it is and why it is part of our training to work as missionaries in a foreign country.
Jungle Camp is designed to give us a little idea of what it is like to live in a situation that we are not familiar with. We will be required to make plans for a structure that we will build out of poles, plastic, screen and duct tape and live in it for four weeks. We are given two weeks to build and can not use power tools or any screws or nails (though four nails are given to make a table). It is only a simulation but will cause us to adjust to something different than what we are used to. Jungle Camp is about being prepared and planning ahead. Often people think that it is about survival, but it’s the exact opposite! While up in Jungle Camp for four weeks, we can not leave for supplies or anything else so we must spend a lot of time planning and preparing.
We have to decide what to take up and make detailed meal schedules. There is obviously no electricity or running water so we will be cooking on a stove made out of a 55 gallon drum and clay. All of our food will either be fresh food brought up or canned. There is no refrigeration so the fresh food will only last for a little while at the start of Jungle Camp.
On the day that we move up to Jungle Camp, we have from midnight to 5pm to get everything up to our house. What makes this difficult is that we have to carry everything ourselves. This adds to the planning and preparation that must be done ahead of time. We are asked to think of Jungle Camp as a foreign country where everything around us is different and strange. Every country that we could eventually go to work in will have unique things about it that will at first be strange and hard to live with. Jungle Camp will give us a taste of this and remove some of the surprise later on.
We are expected to provide everything needed to build and live in Jungle Camp. Click here to check out our list of needed items for Jungle Camp
Jungle camp takes place from June 17 - July 14 2006
Open house weekend is July 8 & 9, please come and visit!
On this day..
- Almost There - 2007
- Goodbye Turtles - 2005
Will Canaan be with you through this whole experience? Are their special allowances for families?
Yes, Canaan will definitely be with us. (We can’t ever leave Jungle Camp, so he definitely has to be with us). There aren’t any special allowances for families. It’s a lot of work for families, which means much more planning ahead of time, but that is part of what are to learn from to apply to future experiences
Sounds pretty daring on your part. Can you leave if the baby gets sick? I think it is good preparation for the mission field, and many families are thrown into situations all the time where things are extremely difficult, I hope and pray that the experience is enjoyable filled with lots of teachable moments!
First aid items will be brought up, but students are aloud to leave if there is a medical emergency of some kind.