24.07.2009

The Orthodox summer camp for kids Nezabudka was established in 2001. Nun Maria (Derzhanovich), a teacher's college graduate, made up her mind to establish the camp when she was just a novice. Once she asked sister of mercy Tatiana, ‘Sister, what do you think, do children need a summer camp?’ Tatiana replied enthusiastically that they do need a camp and she described how she saw it: ‘That would be great if children lived in the fresh air in tents, cleaned up, helped to cook, worked several hours a day because idleness brings vanity. So with God’s help the sisters started to gather children for the first session…

As it usually happens, the first year turned out to be very difficult. The children came to the camp but they slept and were whimsical all the time as if life in the city had worn them out. The children showed interest neither in games nor in competitions that were industriously prepared for them by the members of staff. Such behaviour was astounding. For example, when the children were gathering raspberries one boy suddenly asked ‘Why have we got to do it?’ Another boy hearing this question advised him, ‘Imagine you are gathering computer discs…’ The situation was just sorrowful.

This modern world devastates a child’s personality. A person accepts the rules of this world and his heart-to-heart communication with other people gradually ceases, which builds an insurmountable wall between a person and his neighbours.

Sister Lydia used to be one of the campers not so long ago. Now she is one of the staff here. She says the camp changes only from the outside, whereas the spirit of cheerful and sincere relationship remains the same during all the seasons. ‘The world of Nezabudka is unique and special. There is no place in the world like this. Here you can feel unspeakable joy and peace,’ Lydia said. The presence of the swallows is another thing that remains the same throughout the years. They make their nests under the roof of the refectory every year. Senior sisters joke that the swallows are real hosts of the camp, while those who come to the camp are their guests.

The staff and the children unanimously state that when a session ends they finally settle down and do not want to leave the camp. Even bad weather cannot spoil the rest. Once it was raining ceaselessly during the session. Everything was flooded. Therefore, the campers had to cover the path from the refectory to the tents with fir branches not to soil their legs. That year all the children shared warm clothes and a box with gumboots was sent to the camp from the convent. That time was special. Everyone found the appropriate occupation. Some kids would read, some would draw, some would play the guitar, some would sing, some would do fancywork. Sister Margaret taught them how to weave prayer ropes. Raincoats and gumboots are the indispensable things in the camp now, after those “rains”.

The members of staff are creative and able to captivate children and get them interested. They hold various fairs, thematic days, stage plays, and organize trips, which last one day or longer. All children liked the route Lysaya Gora – Logoisk, which was 30km one way. Only the most enduring and physically fit children go on a camping trip because they have to pave their way through impassable forests and fields and to carry quite heavy backpacks. As a rule, everyone gets exhausted during a camping trip. Nevertheless, fatigue disappears as soon as they are several kilometers far from Logoisk. So the children speed toward the halt place and start to prepare the dinner – soup consisting of potato, porridge, carrots, onion, and even canned peas and corn. The recipe of this soup is quite unusual; however, this dish is always a success.

Once when the children were going to the source of the Vyacha for the first time they got lost. (Now they are smiling when they recall that they ate bellflowers because of hunger.) Those who stayed in the camp got worried and started to pray to St Nicholas the Wonderworker and the lost miraculously found their way home.

Children socialize and pray together, they work and help each other; that is why the atmosphere in Nezabudka is so graceful. Prayer is not a duty here but rather the joy of establishing a relation with God. Life in the camp contributes to self-sufficiency development; it helps children assess their own abilities reasonably and provides the opportunity for them to make friends. Parents are certain that every child brings home something good and special from the camp, and the children’s souls are changed for the better.