While many churches take missions trips to distant lands during the summer, one local church stayed a bit closer to home, taking the time to help refugee and immigrant children here in South Carolina.

Youth at First Baptist Church in Orangeburg, led by Mary Raymond, Debbie French, Barbara Haigler and Jerry Benton, visited the SPLASH -- Students Playing, Learning and Staying Healthy -- summer camp in Columbia.

Sponsored by Reformation Lutheran Church and Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas, SPLASH began in response to the large Somali Bantu resettlement but has now expanded to include all refugee and immigrant children. The camp is held from the beginning of June until the end of July.

Helping the children learn English and practice their speaking skills is an important part of SPLASH. In order to teach them, Raymond said it is important to help the children feel secure and let them know that "we're their friends, and, once we have done that, then they will want to work with us," she said. "We have to let them know that we accept them for who they are."

The 40 children at the camp are from many nations, including Burma, Liberia, Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico, Colombia, Guam and China. They enjoyed the attention the group of volunteers brought to the summer camp.

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Benton spent most of her time taking care of a 5-year-old Burmese child from the Karen tribe, a group persecuted in their nation for their Christian religion.

"When they made their flags, I got to see how their flags were, and we were learning how to say English words in their language," she said.

Debbie French worked with a group of mostly Latino children and said she learned a lot about a culture different from her own.

"I learned that some of the gestures they make are really not so different from us," she said. "They just have so much emotion. And I enjoy the emotion now. I love watching them."

The bonding that took place between volunteers and students showed up in many ways.

"I liked meeting new friends and learning about the different countries," 11-year-old volunteer Ashton Holley said.

Eleven-year-old Kinsey Bird also said she enjoyed being with the children.

"We played games and went outside and did math and stuff like that," she said.

Haigler not only helped teach the children -- she even played checkers with them.

"I got to meet a lot of kids from different countries, and it reminds me of my grandson who was adopted in Guatemala, so many of them," she said. "I have enjoyed it."

The most joyful part of the trip, according to Raymond, was how happy the children were to see her.

"I think the most fun thing is to see the big smiles that come on their faces when you walk in the room, and when they come up and give you a hug because they're glad you've come," she said.

Special to The T&D

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