During camp, 146 of the Ethiopian youth made commitments to follow Christ.

July and August were a beehive of activity at Camp Langano, Sports Friends’ camping ministry in rural Ethiopia. Six weeks of camping sessions were held for Ethiopian boys and girls – approximately 40 youth attended each week.

These youth had one of the greatest times of their lives—fun, food, sports, games, crafts, swimming, singing, drama, teachings, etc. Most importantly, we had the opportunity to shower these young people with God's love and help them grow in their relationship with God.

Albert is a small shy 13-year old boy who some time ago had been snatched from his home village in Ethiopia to work in a cotton weaving factory. Many boys from his home region know how to work the weaving machines and are taken to the capital city as forced labor. His boss was harsh and gave him little food, so Albert ran away and lived on the streets of Addis Ababa.

A Sports Friend leader found him, ministered to him, and brought him to camp. Albert was deeply impacted. Afterward he wept, “What I experienced at that place I have never had. If they love me like this, how much more does God love me?”

During the summer, 146 of the 248 Ethiopian youth attending camp made first time professions to follow Jesus. Each of these new believers is being discipled by their sports ministry leader who came to camp with them.

Sports Friends has plans to expand Camp Langano to accommodate 150 youth per session and to offer camping opportunities on a year round basis. Camp Langano will be the first residential, Christian youth camp in Ethiopia, a country of over 75 million people.

Read stories from the short-term teams who served at Camp Langano