Summer Program Fun!

What do you do during the summer when you live on a ship? 

SUMMER PROGRAM, that's what!

The girls have been blessed by an amazing family (from MINNESOTA!) who come to the ship on a regular basis to run the summer program for the kids. Their helpers come from Australia, Netherlands and the US to provide activities for the kids age three through high school. 

The Zupke Family have an amazing love for children, a passion for what Mercy Ships is doing, and a nearly limitless enthusiasm as they lead our young ones for the majority of the summer. (And they have become our next door neighbors onboard, and Margo is my running buddy at 6:15am three days a week!).

Summer Program: Think summer camp, day camp, VBS, and field trips all rolled into one.  So far in two weeks they have been to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Bureh Beach, the hope center and the ward to do crafts and games with the patients, and played loads of games! They come home with crafts, singing songs, and smiling brightly.

These pictures were taken on Friday as they spent the afternoon with patients on the ward.

Half of the 50 Academy students have gone on holiday for the summer - home to visit with extended family and do support raising.  So, for the 25 children that remain, this has been an awesome time of fun.

They will have two more weeks of summer program, then two weeks off, and then school starts up again! Incredible how fast the time goes.

Thank you, Zupkes and others, for pouring love into our children!!