In 2022, I took a sabbatical in the summer and didn't get to see much of summer day camp.
In 2021, we attempted an in person summer day camp while socially distancing, which was...different.
In 2020, the pandemic made us adapt to an online form of camp, which was unfortunate but we made it work.
In 2019, we had no summer camp.
It was back in 2018 when we had a summer day camp that resembled anything to this current summer. We've had between 40 and 50 students come through this summer's seven week long camp already, and we are only half way through. Our camp's theme, Blueprint, tells of how we are created by God, and built for a purpose. Our three age groups, the Builders (5-7 yrs old), the Constructors (8-10 yrs old), and the Engineers (11-12 yrs old) each rotate different stations such as art, Bible, education, dance, music, sports and games, and my personal favorite and brand new station, the garden station!
I have the privilege of leading the garden station once a week and the Bible station twice a week. Being able to share God's love for these kids and be present to answer any ponderings about God that the kids may have is something I do not take for granted.
If you've ever stayed in Florida for the summer months, you might know that the weather is, well, unpredictable. It is very common that each day will have brief moments of downpour and then hot sunny skies minutes later. The weather seems to always be either too hot, too wet, too windy, just too, too something. Week 2 of camp kept us indoors for the whole week due to lots and lots of rain, preventing us from going to the garden. I quite enjoy thinking about the parallels between the unpredictable weather and the behaviors of the students. Their personalities seem so out of our own control, yet beautifully unique nonetheless. The kids have learned the various jobs that one must do to maintain a garden, why flowers are important to a garden, and where certain vegetables were growing in the garden. I had low expectations for how exciting the garden would be for them, but they've loved it. I've never seen a kid so excited to take home some overripe okra to show their parents.
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| Builders (Max top middle) |
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| Engineers (hopefully some future BLOCK students) Looking back on those first years that I was at camp is when I see the biggest differences in my current life. Although the job is very similar to all those years ago, I've had some of the coolest life giving experiences this summer. What I mean is, way back in 2010, I met a bunch of kids in the neighborhood, had an amazing summer of camp, and had no understanding of what ripple effects that summer would have for the future. One kid in particular, a six year old girl full of smiles, would years later be the flower girl in my wedding, would this summer come back to camp to help volunteer and help out my son, who is now six years old, at camp. Max absolutely adores her whenever she comes through those church doors and it makes my heart happy. |
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| Me back in 2010 |
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| Her 13 years later (top left) |
Thank you for your prayers. If you have a minute, could you take a minute to pray for camp? Please pray that God would open hearts and minds to His love and truth. Pray God would raise a generation of students from the Brentwood neighborhood who love God, and love others. I'll pause for you :)
Thanks!
Enjoy this last picture of Max at our water day covered in shaving cream. Love this kid!
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| I want an ounce of this kid's happiness |
