What is it?
Pure awesomeness.
This camp is for underprivileged children from the Kansas City's urban core. Kids come to a week of camp - FOR FREE - and get to experience good food, the outdoors, swimming, crafts and tons of activities that they would normally not have exposure to. The week even ends with a banquet & carnival. Although there are different camp weeks for kids ages 4 to 16 - I have always worked at Tot Lot, which is geared for ages 4 to 6.
Camp is where God first started putting adoption on my heart.
When I first started volunteering at age 14, it was truly my first time out of my suburbia bubble. Oh, don't get me wrong. I had heard of people in need. I knew they existed, but other than driving downtown with our doors locked, there wasn't much exposure. (of course, I do understand that at as a girl at age 14, there is limited exposure to be had anyway.....) However, that first year I went to camp, put a face was to the need. Who knew kids were affected by need?
WOW - what impact that has on a teenager to see a need and have the opportunity to serve. Camp (and follow up, city-side) changed my life perspective as I knew it.
God used these experiences serving at camp, over the course of many summers, to soften my heart. To put an ache in my heart and leave space to love a child that is not my own, as my own.
Jason and I had talked about adoption on and off throughout the years. Honestly, we thought we wouldn't adopt until our children were older and our plans were to adopt out of foster care. Last summer we felt God prompting us that the time was now. Well, he prompted me. Jason wasn't sure that the time was really now. Obviously, I wasn't going to push him - we both needed to be in agreement, so I just prayed. Jason went to camp with us last summer, as a big brother at Tot Lot, and had four 4yr. old boys (one of them being our own Joel). God used camp once again. We came home after an exhausting week and were decompressing from the week and he told me......the time was now. Adoption was on the table. You see, Jason was not sure he could love another child as he loved our own. But after spending a week at camp (all day, everyday) with his 4yr. old campers - Jason knew that he could.
Amazing.
Our adoption road has taken some turns that we didn't expect, but God keeps pointing us to - Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
So want to know something else incredible?
Camp CUMCITO's theme this summer?
Adopted by the Father.
Seriously, thanks God. Now you're just making this fun :)
Below is a short Tot Lot video that I made, originally for camp training purposes, that you can view if you want to get a glimpse of the fun that is camp! Please be praying for us this week - for opportunities to share the gospel, for opportunities to show love and for safety!
Enjoy........
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