What are You Doing this Summer?

January 18, 2019

The New Year is well underway, and we are excited for all that 2019 has in store! Time after time, our Kompas Park Summer Camps are the highlight of our year, and many campers and volunteer counselors would agree. This year Hope Now USA will be offering volunteers the opportunity to serve at two camps – Kids Camp from May 30 to June 8 and Youth Camp from June 27 to July 6.  This year, our exciting theme is SPACE! We invite you to come aboard our spaceship as we take a galactical journey to explore God’s love this summer.

Tell me more!

Kompas Park is a beautiful camp facility located in the heart of Khreschatyk Village in central Ukraine. Each summer, Hope Now USA hosts camps for orphans, orphan graduates, and children in need. It is a wonderful retreat for these children to play outdoor games, swim in the river, develop new skills, learn about God and receive love from dedicated camp counselors. Volunteer teams from Ukraine and America team up to mentor and lead groups of children and teens at these overnight camps.

Kids Camp and Youth Camp are similar in many ways but are customized to fit two different age groups. At Kids Camp, campers are between the age of 7-12 and most of them come from Shpola Orphanage. Throughout the week, campers and counselors play games, attend clubs, ride boats on the river, swim, and learn more about God together each day. If you love spending time playing and hugging sweet children, this camp is for you!

Youth Camp caters to campers between the ages of 13-18. Most of these campers are orphans or orphan graduates, and the rest come from disadvantaged families in Cherkasy. Youth Camp has the same fun activities of Kids Camp but also includes Master Classes and more time learning about God through small groups and evening worship gatherings. Master Classes are taught daily by counselors and provide opportunities for teens to develop useful skills in a relaxed setting. If the prospect of mentoring teens and deepening your relationships through a fun-filled week sounds exciting to you, Youth Camp is for you!

Why should I go (again)?

Now you might be thinking, “These camps sound great, but why should I go?” Or those of you who have already been to Kompas Park may be wondering, “why should I return?” One of our faithful volunteers who has been to Kompas Park multiple times summed it up well:

“Returning to Kompas Park for multiple trips deepened my relationship with campers who were also returning and gave me the opportunity to show them that I had missed them for a year and wanted to see them again. I also got to see dear friends while in Ukraine, and over time returning for camp becomes a family reunion of sorts. Going once is a good way to get your feet wet in missions; returning is a good way to invest long-term in relationship.” – Jordan Young

We believe going to Kompas Park for the first time is a wonderful way to learn about God in another culture, encourage Ukrainian believers, and share your faith (all while receiving the unconditional love of many children!). We each have unique gifts, and God uses each of us in special ways at Kompas Park.

We also believe, however, that returning to Kompas Park creates an even better opportunity for relationships to deepen and to show Ukrainian counselors and campers your commitment to them. Each one of us knows the incredible feeling of having someone special invest in our lives. This year, we would love to see former Kompas Park volunteers return to camp to invest in the lives of these campers and counselors. We promise you, they have not forgotten you!

Sign me up!  

Are you interested in volunteering at one (or both) of these camps? Please fill out our Volunteer Application or email us at info@hopenowusa.org for more information. We cannot wait to see what God has in store for this summer’s Kompas Park Camps!  Don’t wait – slots are filling up now!

PS Check out this 2 minute video, to catch a glimpse of all the fun a week at Kompas Park has in store for you!

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