After over twenty hours of traveling and three fights, Camp Kanfei finally arrived safely in Queenstown, NZ; population 27, 800. The air is crisp and the ground covered with fresh fluffy snow- perfect for our first day of skiing on Friday.  In the words of one our male counselors, Chanan Kupietsky, "It was a short ski day, but it was amazing!" What a great way to start the program.

We then prepared for our first Shabbat together at the Lakeland Christian Camp, where we will be sleeping for the duration of our stay in New Zealand.  On Friday night, we had a beautiful shabbat meal together along with around 15 locals from around Queenstown.  For some of them, Camp Kanfei Jews are the only Jews these New Zealnders have ever met.  It was so nice to share our shabbat tradition with them and hear from them the positive impact spending time with Camp Kanfei has had on their impressions of the Jewish people.  We ended off the night with a delightful tisch in which the kids socialized and played a great game of charades.

Shabbat day was filled with a meaningful shacharit followed by a skit put on by our ounselors stressing the importance of shmira haloshon.  We had a delicious lunch together and then menucha for the rest of the day until havdallah.  This shabbat was filled with so much ruach from the campers that i was so sad to see it end.  But it doesn't have to! Tonight we will have a music, food, and fun filled melava malka where i'm sure the ruach will continue on through the night and then a surprise night activity! (I think it's bowling....but even I wasn't told so don't say anything!)  That's all for now.
Yummy pancakes are calling my name :)


Hope you all had a wonderful shabbos!
Jenny