As the school year is wrapping up, parents and kids are beginning to unpack backpacks and pack up trunks and duffle bags for summer camp. We registered our daughter for camp in the fall, and she will return to her beloved camp in a few weeks. She talks positively and is excited about returning to activities and cabin life and catching frogs. But there is also a shadow cast over the day that is coming soon, when we will move her into her cabin and say goodbye for a month, because her friend died last summer at camp in the floods on July 4th in Texas.
She has questions now about storms and water near her cabin, about God’s sovereignty (even if she doesn’t know that word), and she wants to know if her camp is safe. Over the past ten months, we have tried to prepare her (and us) for this year’s particularly difficult drop off. We have reminded her of spiritual comforts she has in Jesus. We have given her practical comforts with daily rhythms and honest answers to her questions. And we have received comforts from camp directors who have created and communicated a culture of safety.
Comforts from God: Everlasting Love and Eternal Presence
From beginning to end, God’s Word is honest about the fallen and destructive power of sin that is pervasive in creation and in human beings, which is contrasted with the righteousness and redemption that are in God. The world will give them trials, but God will give them peace (Hebrews 4; John 16).
We send our children to camp with God’s everlasting love. We send them with a God who is for them, who gave up his Son on their behalf, and who graciously gives them all they will need. From distress to death, nothing can separate them from this love. Christ who died for them, was raised, is at the right hand of the Father interceding for them (Romans 8).
We send our children to camp with God’s eternal presence, their Helper. Day and night, in every season of life, he is with them. He never leaves them or forgets them. He is always with them. The Lord’s constant and abiding presence is the Holy Spirit (Ps 139, Hebrews 13, Matthew 28).
These comforts are for children who are at camp and parents who are at home. They are for grandparents who are anxious and kids who are homesick. They comfort big kids working as camp counselors and young children falling asleep for the first time in a camp cabin. And they are for kids riding a horse for the first time as well as for kids up high in the trees on a ropes course. The love of God in Christ is offered to all who call upon his name, who want to be with him, and who find refuge in his truth.
Comforts from Parents: Faith-Filled Home and Honest Answers
Parents wanting to provide the Lord’s comfort to their children can start with giving them a faith-filled life at home and honest answers to their hard questions.
First, the faith-filled home life looks different for every family in each season but common elements often include Christian community, prayer, Bible reading, patience, and forgiveness. The faithful home may not be all of these all the time, but we seek to prioritize time and habits that nudge us towards relationship with God, each other, and other Christians in our ordinary, daily rhythms of life.
Second, we can give honest answers to our children’s questions without sharing our anxiety. My daughter’s questions about bodies of water around cabins at her camp don’t mean she is in danger or that she doesn’t want to go to camp. It is an invitation to talk about how rainwater flows differently down a mountain than through a valley, or soil that absorbs rainwater compared to limestone that water flows over. If our child gets sick at home, she may ask, “What will happen at camp if I don’t feel well?” This can lead to a conversation about camp doctors, nurses, and counselors who will be at camp to help her.
When our daughter asks why her friend died at camp, we sit with her in both the mysteries and truth of God. We don’t know why, but we do know God loved her friend. God told us there would be trials and even death in this life. We can reassure our daughter that God was with her friend when she died, and her friend is safe with God now and forever.
Together, these family rhythms and honest answers can equip our children with resources for help, like the Bible, prayer, or a trusted adult. By arming them with Christian rhythms and biblical truth, we can build confidence in their ability to handle a sick day or advocate for themselves.
Comforts from Camp: Culture of Safety and Communication
We have reminded our daughter of spiritual comforts she has in Christ and have hopefully given her comfort as her parents, but we have also received comfort from the camp she attends. The director has addressed camp safety early and often, especially since last July. From accreditation to staff hiring to emergency management planning, the communication has been in camp newsletters and available to families with specific questions. The camp directors also supported camp safety legislation in our state this year.
Because I worked at camp, I know that as college-aged staff arrive, they will receive training in first aid, CPR, and plans in case of events such as a tornado, fire, or missing camper. They will learn from medical personnel and experts in child development. They will have training in social-emotional wellness, child protection and mandatory reporting, and rules for living in a large camp community. Counselors who teach activities like swimming, horseback riding, or climbing will have additional lifeguard and technical skills training. Directors will work to build relationships that strengthen trust and collaboration throughout the staff. This will all happen before children arrive at camp. This creates a strong foundation for a culture of safety for the whole summer.
I have a lot more information about the deadly floods last summer than our daughter does. We have only shared with her honest answers to the questions she has asked, rather than risking over-sharing information that may incite fear or anxiety, especially if it does not apply to her camp situation. We met with a professional therapist this fall, and one very helpful lesson she taught us was that anxiety and fear are common feelings in the aftermath of a tragedy. These feelings only become a problem when we get “stuck” in and can’t move through the feelings to return to calm and rational feelings or if the feelings prevent us from doing the things we enjoyed before the tragedy.
If your child is “stuck” in feelings of worry, fear, anxiety or panic, maybe a day camp would be better this summer while you work with a therapist. Or if your camp isn’t providing the type of comforts we have received from our camp, perhaps choosing a different camp would provide those comforts to you and your child.
The God of All Comfort
To the parent who is driving home after leaving a camper at overnight camp or to the camp director who is caring for children at camp this summer, God is with you, too.
The camp where we send our daughter has a long-standing tradition of encouraging campers and staff to read one of the Gospels during their month at camp. This is a practice I have continued since I was a camper. This will be my 38th summer to read one or more of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. While it isn’t a magic pill of relief from my anxieties and fears or a promise that nothing bad will happen to the people I love, it is a true and historical account of the good news that through his Son and by his Spirit, God keeps his promises.
As we send our children off to camp this summer, we find comfort in spiritual rhythms and camp accreditations. Ultimately, we find rest in Jesus, who keeps them in his care.
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