By Tiffany Dien … Loveland, Colorado … Campion church was filled with colorful flags and the sound of greetings and songs in various languages on February 13 as the church embraced and celebrated the cultures and countries of many of their students for International Sabbath.
Students and members paraded a variety of flags from countries all around the world, many wearing traditional cultural clothing from the countries they represented. They sang in six different languages and read Bible verses in other languages as well.
Reflecting on the event, Airi Nomura, international student from Japan, said, “It was very hard but fun to sing in many different languages. I really liked when everyone was trying to say “Jesus loves you” in Japanese.”
A group of Indonesian students performed for special music.
“I loved how I could speak to God in another language and sing for Him. I was able to express my culture in a way people could remember,” commented Blessing Simamora. “This International Sabbath was definitely worth performing for and it’s something I will cherish for a long time.”
Continuing on the global theme, Campion Academy’s International Club created a special evening activity for dorm students, who rotated to four stations representing the home countries of the international students. At the station in the gym, Brazilian students organized a game of taco, a Brazilian form of cricket, and offered carnival mask painting. Students from the Democratic Republic of Congo held soccer games and hosted a drum circle.
The Chinese students offered games of ping pong and taught rotating students to write the Chinese character ‘love’ for Valentine’s Day. In the chapel, student Airi hosted Japanese karaoke and origami. Throughout the stations, students could win traditional Chinese red packets with a raffle number for their participation. Five winners received a free take-out meal. The night ended with sparklers and fireworks in celebration of Chinese New Year.
“I really enjoyed how we could all come together and share our cultures even though we are from different countries. I liked the evening games because we learned new games and other things from other countries,” Sophie Baez, Campion student said.
–Tiffany Dien is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied
You can view more photos from International Sabbath and Club Activities at Campion.net/news
