This is a tale of two bags, packed to take two little girls to overnight camp.
One bag was not a bag at all but a trunk. A trunk large enough for the little girl to fit inside herself. For 6 days at camp, this bag contained: 5 bathing suits, 7 outfits each put into an individual bag, 2 dresses, 3 extra shirts, a rain poncho, a shower caddie (containing body soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, a brush and two loofahs), tennis shoes, flip flops, water shoes, 2 flashlights, 2 fans, pens, 2 Mad Libs, 2 chapter books and 3 towels. This trunk was so full that in a separate bag was packed sheets, a sleeping bag, a blanket and two pillows. The mother of this child worried while she was at camp that she wouldn't have everything she needed.
The second girl's bag wasn't really a bag either, but a book bag. For 5 days at camp it held one bathing suit, a hand towel, a wash cloth, flip flops, tennis shoes, 5 tops, 3 pairs of shorts, long pants, a bar of soap, a bible, a flashlight, toothbrush, and toothpaste. This bag was so full that the little girl carried her pillow.
The first bag was lovingly packed over the course of two weeks. The little girl received many of the things in the bag brand new from grandparents in preparation for camp. The camp packing list was consulted numerous times, and a friend with a daughter already at camp was consulted to make sure everything that was needed was included.
The second bag was packed the day before camp by the little girl's sister. She didn't have the packing list until then and there was no one looking for it. Nothing in the bag was new.
The first little girl and her bag had a great time at camp. It was her first time and she attended the camp her mother grew up going to. Her brother and sister didn't go this time, but they waited at home for her and looked each day for photographs that might show what she was doing. Her mother paid $1 per email to send her a note each day while she was away and had numerous friends and family members praying that she would be OK during the nights in the dark. She wasn't homesick, but was thrilled to see her parents at the end of the week. She couldn't wait to tell them about all the fun she had and the new things she tried.
The second little girl and her bag also had a great week at camp. Although she was only 7, she had been to camp the summer before and knew what to expect. Her brother and sister came with her to camp, even though they don't all live in the same home. She had also changed homes, and guardians since the last time she came to camp and was now living in the home of a widowed elderly woman. It is unknown if any of her other family members knew she was at camp. While she didn't cry, she became anxious about leaving the last day. Sharing more stories about her home life over the past few years, biting her nails and distancing herself from her counselor. At departure, there was no hugs or excitement to see her foster mother and only a quiet goodbye to her counselor.
Jimmy and I have just returned from a week as counselors at Royal Family Kids Camp- a camp for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned and are living in foster care. It was a beautiful and hard week. As Sarah Bess had her first week at camp earlier this summer, I was stuck by the differences in even the bags packed. To learn more about RFKC, you can go to their website here: http://royalfamilykids.org/
I have written about camp and how I came to be there in previous blogs:
Sharing the Story: Part 1
Sharing the Story: Part 2
Off to Camp for the First Time
Thoughts from Camp
One bag was not a bag at all but a trunk. A trunk large enough for the little girl to fit inside herself. For 6 days at camp, this bag contained: 5 bathing suits, 7 outfits each put into an individual bag, 2 dresses, 3 extra shirts, a rain poncho, a shower caddie (containing body soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, a brush and two loofahs), tennis shoes, flip flops, water shoes, 2 flashlights, 2 fans, pens, 2 Mad Libs, 2 chapter books and 3 towels. This trunk was so full that in a separate bag was packed sheets, a sleeping bag, a blanket and two pillows. The mother of this child worried while she was at camp that she wouldn't have everything she needed.
The second girl's bag wasn't really a bag either, but a book bag. For 5 days at camp it held one bathing suit, a hand towel, a wash cloth, flip flops, tennis shoes, 5 tops, 3 pairs of shorts, long pants, a bar of soap, a bible, a flashlight, toothbrush, and toothpaste. This bag was so full that the little girl carried her pillow.
The first bag was lovingly packed over the course of two weeks. The little girl received many of the things in the bag brand new from grandparents in preparation for camp. The camp packing list was consulted numerous times, and a friend with a daughter already at camp was consulted to make sure everything that was needed was included.
The second bag was packed the day before camp by the little girl's sister. She didn't have the packing list until then and there was no one looking for it. Nothing in the bag was new.
The first little girl and her bag had a great time at camp. It was her first time and she attended the camp her mother grew up going to. Her brother and sister didn't go this time, but they waited at home for her and looked each day for photographs that might show what she was doing. Her mother paid $1 per email to send her a note each day while she was away and had numerous friends and family members praying that she would be OK during the nights in the dark. She wasn't homesick, but was thrilled to see her parents at the end of the week. She couldn't wait to tell them about all the fun she had and the new things she tried.
The second little girl and her bag also had a great week at camp. Although she was only 7, she had been to camp the summer before and knew what to expect. Her brother and sister came with her to camp, even though they don't all live in the same home. She had also changed homes, and guardians since the last time she came to camp and was now living in the home of a widowed elderly woman. It is unknown if any of her other family members knew she was at camp. While she didn't cry, she became anxious about leaving the last day. Sharing more stories about her home life over the past few years, biting her nails and distancing herself from her counselor. At departure, there was no hugs or excitement to see her foster mother and only a quiet goodbye to her counselor.
Jimmy and I have just returned from a week as counselors at Royal Family Kids Camp- a camp for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned and are living in foster care. It was a beautiful and hard week. As Sarah Bess had her first week at camp earlier this summer, I was stuck by the differences in even the bags packed. To learn more about RFKC, you can go to their website here: http://royalfamilykids.org/
Sharing the Story: Part 1
Sharing the Story: Part 2
Off to Camp for the First Time
Thoughts from Camp
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