By Valerie Burnett

This August, we sponsored our first Royal Family Kids’ Camp. As Directors, there is another whole scope of questioning that you put yourself through. Getting our local Social Services to let us have kids for the week was a major hurdle. We ended up with 38 campers, just short of our goal. Then we wondered if the kids would really show up and at 6:04 am on August 15th the lines started forming for campers to register. Most of our workers weren’t even there yet.

As Directors, we wondered if the kids that were coming, would really need the care that we had to offer them. Right away God let us know that we had kids that needed His love. We had what seemed to us a high number of sibling groups, about 6 or 8. Many of the siblings do NOT live in the same home. Our first story of camp happened at registration when Lucy* was clinging to her foster parent, reluctant and scared to go to camp. He kept assuring her that everything would be OK. She looked across the courtyard and saw her brother, smiled at her foster father and never looked back. The hearts of the Registration workers was deeply touched to see the first evidence of what a week of camp was going to mean to these children.

On the bus, one terrified little boy was so nervous that he sat up straight and never even let his back touch the seat as he sat alert and kept his head moving around taking in everything. Even the movie being shown on the bus didn’t help him relax. When we arrived at camp, he was often seen with his Counselor, literally wrapped around his leg as they moved from activity to meals. Within a few days, Bobby* was running, laughing and enjoying being the 7 year old that he is, no longer clingy and the biggest smile ever. During the variety show on Thursday evening, he went up to the lady who was coordinating the show and asked if he and his sister could sing "Jesus Loves Me". Of course watching Bobby and Kerry* sing together was another memory that will never go away.

Grandpa Walt’s Mail Center was hands down the most popular place to be at camp. Campers loved receiving and sending mail and kept the center busy all day long.

The lake that our camp is located on is huge. We want everything to be successful for the campers, and worried about the campers catching fish. The record for the campground was 6 fish caught in one week. Our campers caught 89 fish that week thanks to lake research, prayers, and skills of Uncle Joe.

Hector* was one of the instant heartthrobs of the camp. He has a sunny, toothless smile and was a great kid to have around. After he opened his birthday gifts, he told me that this year he didn’t get to have a birthday that today was his birthday party. He was so excited with his gifts as he showed them to me. Then he looked at me as serious as can be and said, "when I get 18 I want to be a Royal Family Counselor and when I get really bigger I’m going to be Grandpa."

Ellen* got off the bus at camp so closed and drawn into herself that everyone noticed and commented on her inward focus. Daily she opened up and blossomed before our eyes. On Wednesday, when she saw the bounce house for the birthday party, her eyes got huge and she told her Counselor, “I just got everything I EVER wanted for my birthday!” I always wanted to play in a bounce house. Variety Show night, there was an extra microphone for her group. Earlier Ellen* had declined to hold a microphone and was going to share with one of her friends. When she saw the microphone, she picked it up put it in her face and sang and smiled with all of them. A classmate that attends school with Ellen* told his mother that last year Ellen didn’t talk to anybody or smile at all. This year he said she laughs and talks to everyone. Ellen* is 11 years old and won’t be able to come back to camp next year, but she showed all of us, that YES, one week does make a difference!

*Names are changed to protect the identity of the campers.