Estonia 26 Türi Day 5

WHAT’S UP family and friends of those on the mission trip. I’m so glad that I’ve been given the pleasure of serving alongside your wonderful students and leaders! Your team has been a blessing and they all have such servant hearts! Now you might be asking yourself… “Who the heck is talking?!” Well that would be me, Ryan Kepler! A little bit of context for me I’m an intern this summer for an organization called Josiah Venture. I am from North Carolina just outside of Charlotte and I am 19 years old! I’ve been serving in ministry for almost eight years now! 

Today was our last full day of camp which was really sad to think about. But this day actually got started at 1 AM. Yes you heard me right… 1 AM!! A part of English Camp tradition we do a night game and the object of this game is to build a flashlight by collecting parts around camp and shining it in the face of the spooky gargoyles that were walking around trying to prevent this from happening.

This morning we had our final English environment led by yours truly :)! The goal of this was that the Estonian students would have to teach the English speakers how to build their famous dessert: Küpsisetort! It was a fun/tasty experience for everyone involved! Watching the Estonian students become the teachers for a change was really special. It gave them confidence to practice English while sharing a piece of their own culture with us.

Tonight is always one of the most meaningful parts of camp. After spending the week building relationships, laughing together, and practicing English, the students hear a clear presentation of the Gospel before walking through the Labyrinth is a prayer walk experience that invites them to reflect on everything they’ve heard this week. 

We’d love your prayers for every student as they process what God may be doing in their hearts. Thank you for trusting our team with your students this week. It has been such a joy to watch them laugh, learn, build friendships, and grow. I hope our paths cross again someday, and until then, thank you for your continued prayers for the students as they head home.

-Ryan Kepler

- Ryan Kepler