We just finished hosting our first "Extreme Leadership Training Camp" for local Ukrainian youth. The 4-day programme began 29 April and finished 3 May. About 20 youth from Rivne and Vinnitsa endured the cold temperatures in tents and primitive conditions to learn more about leadership. The participants learned to work together as a team through team-building games, low & high ropes courses, and experiential learning sessions. Despite the cold, windy weather, the teens and young adults thought that it was a week well-spent. One participant, Bogdan, said, "I came to learn how to be a good leader, and God taught me humility. I thought that I could live the Christian life by myself - just w/ God, but here I realized that we (brothers & sisters in Christ) need each other and that what is very difficult for one man to do is much easier as a team." Another participant, Yulia, said, "I was excited to come until I arrived at the mission and was waiting for the bus. Because of the cold weather and not knowing the other participants, I almost decided not to come after all. But, I'm so glad I came. I learned a lot about myself and about how God can help me to be a better leader. There were a few times that I thought that I couldn't complete one of the games, but the team encouraged me and I was able to do it. It was such a time of growth for me." Participants learned to face and overcome fear on the zip-line and trust falls. They also learned what it means to work together as a team and to help each other through difficult tasks. The OM SportsLink leaders learned how to better lead the next camp, planned for 7-15 July and are looking forward to leading more of these type of camps. Through these camps, we can see God visibly working to shape young leaders' lives and hearts. God touches each one of us through these camps and our vision is to share these kind of camps with others in Ukraine.
