Cloud 9...

It is time for campers to leave on sunday morning and a piece of my heart is going with them....

Our first camp of the summer arrived last thursday. Camp Janus. A camp for children and teens who are survived burn victims. Campers enter the gates of camp paranoid that we may not see them as who they are on the inside but be distracted by what they appear to be on the outside. In the span of 3 short days, I laughed, cried, and learned more about being thankful than I have in a long time. Many of the children from this camp came from Mexico/South America, creating a language barrier between us. It didn't take me long, though, to realize that although my spanish may be very limiting, (and as corny as it may seem) a smile, a hug, and some laughter is universal. So with that in mind all weekend, I received endless kisses from 5 year old boys and dances with 8 year olds from Bolivia.

And then came Saturday night. At campfire. I got to experience something indescribable. A 16 year old spanish boy who, because of the effects of his burn, is left with no left arm and only a nub for a right. He quietly approached me wanting me to roast a mallow for him. The mallow was roasted and we put together an amazing s'more. In this moment, I was shown courage. That no matter what your body may able you to do or not to do, there is a way. And then for the next few minutes, I proceeded to feed this s'more to Carlos. No shame in his game. From the outside looking in, this was an incredible moment. So with tears in my eyes, I wave goodbye to these amazing kids. Back to their lives in another culture, a country, or the hospital they were just released from. Back to the real world.

...And that is why I work at Camp For All. I believe that God has blessed me with the heart of a servant. And my prayer is that as I serve, some how in some way they may see Jesus in me. If I can get just one child to smile, I have done my job. If I can make just one child leave with just a little more courage, I have succeeded. As one famous author once wrote (whom I can't recall his name)... "You cannot wash the feet of a filthy world if you're too afraid to touch them." Jesus, may I be your hands and feet. Send me.

"...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7