I spent August 6-16 in a church camp in northern NY. We do this once a year, staying in a cabin with my mother-in-law. Other in-laws join for parts of the week, and we get to hang out with friends we only see a few times of year. It’s a time where we celebrate our faith by holding a vacation Bible school, attending nightly services, singing and going to Bible studies (all optional but available). It’s a time of lots of laughter, rest, rejuvenation and a reminder of not only the blessings we have, but also a reminder of how we can take our blessings and use them to help others.
A favorite part of the ten days for me is seeing the intergenerational interactions. The 80+-year-olds inspire our teens while our teens take the time to encourage and hang out with the little ones. My age bridges the age gap as we help the old ones move about and guide the teens as they play with the younger ones when our energy levels lapse.
The focus of the kids program this year was “Shine Like the Stars.” Our universe is amazing! We had science lessons that took our breath away. We are so small and insignificant in the scope of all creation, yet we are still considered important and unique. Amazing.
The focus of the program for everyone was light. How can we help others by lighting and clearing a path for them? One way is to reach out to help those in need. One night we learned about a remote area of Africa in which a local-to-us-woman goes to bring books so kids can learn to read and broaden knowledge to pull themselves out of poverty. She brings school supplies, books, and computers to them (plus some resources for food).
While that’s not a specific Christian outreach, it’s really what we (those of us in the camp) believe our faith is all about. Reaching out to help others with the gifts we have been given. It’s all pretty awesome, imho.
Now I’m home and back to my beautiful reality, but I feel refreshed. And I already miss my friends.
What a treat this camp is for my family.
* Many thanks to Carrie Trapasso Halladay for the majority of the images.
2 responses to “Ten Days in Dempster”
Having moved a year ago, I read your title as Dumpster. How much more wrong could I be?
Ha! That slips out of our mouths occasionally as well. 🙂