Superstar Summer Camp is not just a regular camp, this camp is specifically designed for children in the foster care system. These are kids who's lives have been turned upside down and inside out. They do not have the same opportunities as other children their age might have. It is designed for children who get left behind because of behavioral problems, children who get left behind because they don't have the money for camp, children who get left behind because someone some where deemed them unworthy of love. I just wanted to share my experience at camp and how these children changed my life forever.
Let me take you through a quick verbal tour of what the camp's schedule looked like. The cabin leaders showed up a day before the campers so that we could set up our cabins and prepare for them to come! Each cabin had two leaders and four campers. The point of such small cabins is that the kiddos get to have as much one on one attention as possible. We do not want any kiddo to feel left out...ever. They have experienced that enough in their lives, if we can eliminate that for just a week then it is a win. We arrived at camp on Saturday and the kiddos arrived on Sunday. There was a bus load of boys and a bus load of girls. The cabin leaders and camp staff spent time making signs with each kiddo's name on that sign. As soon as we saw the buses coming we started jumping up and down and cheering for them. We started shouting their names and honestly just shouts of joy. It was a celebration for them to be there! We then settled the kiddos into the cabins and got right to fun! The week was packed full of horse back riding, swimming, boating, archery, crafts, a whole room full of dress up clothes, snacks, meal time, and even quiet time coloring in the shade. We even had mail boxes so that the kids could send each other mail! How fun! We had Jam sessions which was were the kids got learn songs about who Jesus is in our lives and a short message that gave the Good News of Jesus. After each Jam session we would break off into groups and talk about what we learned. The kiddo's lives can be so dark and hopeless at times that it is hard to see God. The whole week we encouraged the kiddos to look for God in all areas of their life.
I have been going to camps my whole life. In fact that is where I met my husband Levi. One of our dreams would be to open a camp and do that as our full time ministry. I am all about camp life. But I thought that my life being changed by a camp experience was long gone...I was wrong. I don't like being wrong but this time I didn't mind it so much. It wasn't this big moment of change but little experiences with my girls that has left me looking at life differently. Many of the activities listed above are things that these kiddo's have never experience such as riding on the back of a tube in the middle of the river. I was sitting between two of my girls who were having so much fun that they were laughing hysterically. Mind you I was just trying to keep my food down (getting older sucks). They just kept saying how much fun they were having and they never wanted to stop. One of the girls popped out of the tube and was pretty scared after the fact. But she didn't let that fear stop her from getting back on two days later. The horseback riding was another opportunity that we got to see our girl's faces light up because they were on a horse! Or got to feed a horse.
We were also divided into teams, with other cabins,where we got to earn money and bid on fun things like night swims, ice cream party, big bags of chips, etc. It was awesome to see the kids come together with other kids and build teams and work together as teams. They did not know each other but they learned quickly to work together for the same goal. Watching them learn life lessons in a fun and safe environment is something that I tend to take for granted.
There were moments of insanity and I felt that I was doing and saying everything wrong. Or moments were I was ready to go, especially on Tuesday when I had the flu. But even that was a learning experience for me. The leaders and my girls came around me and took care of me. I had more gatorade and water then I knew what to do with! Also at one point the director brought me a bowl so that I didn't have to keep getting up and vomiting outside the cabin. I thought that was very sweet and I apparently thanked him for the bowl. Ha! But all that taught me that no matter where I go I belong to the family of Christ. I will always have love and support. That in moments where people should not want to be around me because I am grossly sick, they are. That I am worthy of love. Just as my girls are so very worthy of love. Being sick also showed me that I had only really been with my girls for a day and a half but they already cared about me. They had let me in to their closed off lives. They had no reason to trust me or let me into their hearts but they did. To be loved by a child is powerful. I know that I am not a mom but a child's love is life changing.
The last day is when I broke. Our girls kept saying that they didn't want to go home. They wanted to stay at camp and with us forever. I have seen a lot of camps end and by the end of camp most campers are ready to go home but not these girls. It occurred to me in that moment that we could not keep them at camp. We could no longer protect them. That is all I wanted to do. I wanted to keep them at camp and put a shield around them. They are living in a world not of their making. Their actions did not wind them up where they are. Some one else's actions did and they are living with the consequences. It is a gut wrenching emotion and realization. So I was honest with them and told them how sad I was to be saying good bye. That I would miss them so much. I told them that I would pray for them every day and I cried. The bus ride home was fun and sad. The girls wanted to sit with Joy and I so we had to do rotations so that we had one last moment with each of them. It was bittersweet.
I feel that this post is inadequate. I don't think it fully captures the lessons I learned and how much these kids influenced my life. I didn't go into any of their stories because it is their story to tell not mine. Just know that their lives are not easy or even close. They face battles that most of us can't even imagine. They have been forced to grow up faster then what is fair. But they are brave. I will not look at people the same way again. Hopefully I will look at people with more grace in my eyes.
Let me take you through a quick verbal tour of what the camp's schedule looked like. The cabin leaders showed up a day before the campers so that we could set up our cabins and prepare for them to come! Each cabin had two leaders and four campers. The point of such small cabins is that the kiddos get to have as much one on one attention as possible. We do not want any kiddo to feel left out...ever. They have experienced that enough in their lives, if we can eliminate that for just a week then it is a win. We arrived at camp on Saturday and the kiddos arrived on Sunday. There was a bus load of boys and a bus load of girls. The cabin leaders and camp staff spent time making signs with each kiddo's name on that sign. As soon as we saw the buses coming we started jumping up and down and cheering for them. We started shouting their names and honestly just shouts of joy. It was a celebration for them to be there! We then settled the kiddos into the cabins and got right to fun! The week was packed full of horse back riding, swimming, boating, archery, crafts, a whole room full of dress up clothes, snacks, meal time, and even quiet time coloring in the shade. We even had mail boxes so that the kids could send each other mail! How fun! We had Jam sessions which was were the kids got learn songs about who Jesus is in our lives and a short message that gave the Good News of Jesus. After each Jam session we would break off into groups and talk about what we learned. The kiddo's lives can be so dark and hopeless at times that it is hard to see God. The whole week we encouraged the kiddos to look for God in all areas of their life.
I have been going to camps my whole life. In fact that is where I met my husband Levi. One of our dreams would be to open a camp and do that as our full time ministry. I am all about camp life. But I thought that my life being changed by a camp experience was long gone...I was wrong. I don't like being wrong but this time I didn't mind it so much. It wasn't this big moment of change but little experiences with my girls that has left me looking at life differently. Many of the activities listed above are things that these kiddo's have never experience such as riding on the back of a tube in the middle of the river. I was sitting between two of my girls who were having so much fun that they were laughing hysterically. Mind you I was just trying to keep my food down (getting older sucks). They just kept saying how much fun they were having and they never wanted to stop. One of the girls popped out of the tube and was pretty scared after the fact. But she didn't let that fear stop her from getting back on two days later. The horseback riding was another opportunity that we got to see our girl's faces light up because they were on a horse! Or got to feed a horse.
We were also divided into teams, with other cabins,where we got to earn money and bid on fun things like night swims, ice cream party, big bags of chips, etc. It was awesome to see the kids come together with other kids and build teams and work together as teams. They did not know each other but they learned quickly to work together for the same goal. Watching them learn life lessons in a fun and safe environment is something that I tend to take for granted.
There were moments of insanity and I felt that I was doing and saying everything wrong. Or moments were I was ready to go, especially on Tuesday when I had the flu. But even that was a learning experience for me. The leaders and my girls came around me and took care of me. I had more gatorade and water then I knew what to do with! Also at one point the director brought me a bowl so that I didn't have to keep getting up and vomiting outside the cabin. I thought that was very sweet and I apparently thanked him for the bowl. Ha! But all that taught me that no matter where I go I belong to the family of Christ. I will always have love and support. That in moments where people should not want to be around me because I am grossly sick, they are. That I am worthy of love. Just as my girls are so very worthy of love. Being sick also showed me that I had only really been with my girls for a day and a half but they already cared about me. They had let me in to their closed off lives. They had no reason to trust me or let me into their hearts but they did. To be loved by a child is powerful. I know that I am not a mom but a child's love is life changing.
The last day is when I broke. Our girls kept saying that they didn't want to go home. They wanted to stay at camp and with us forever. I have seen a lot of camps end and by the end of camp most campers are ready to go home but not these girls. It occurred to me in that moment that we could not keep them at camp. We could no longer protect them. That is all I wanted to do. I wanted to keep them at camp and put a shield around them. They are living in a world not of their making. Their actions did not wind them up where they are. Some one else's actions did and they are living with the consequences. It is a gut wrenching emotion and realization. So I was honest with them and told them how sad I was to be saying good bye. That I would miss them so much. I told them that I would pray for them every day and I cried. The bus ride home was fun and sad. The girls wanted to sit with Joy and I so we had to do rotations so that we had one last moment with each of them. It was bittersweet.
I feel that this post is inadequate. I don't think it fully captures the lessons I learned and how much these kids influenced my life. I didn't go into any of their stories because it is their story to tell not mine. Just know that their lives are not easy or even close. They face battles that most of us can't even imagine. They have been forced to grow up faster then what is fair. But they are brave. I will not look at people the same way again. Hopefully I will look at people with more grace in my eyes.
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