Some of my greatest joys since being down here in Texas so far, have been connecting with new people who have the same goal and vision -- seeking first His Kingdom, and goofing off with new friends, which almost always includes great food.
This past Friday, the "terns" (obnoxious nickname for being an intern) went downtown for the first time with the homeless ministry. We set up tables and literally served each person (over 130 in count) a meal under a bridge in San Antonio down by the riverwalk. It was such a blessing, and it gave me a lot to think about. No worries, I will not bore you with the craziness that goes on in my head. I definitely look forward to becoming even more involved and connected with this. After that, we were treated to Five Guys and enjoyed getting to know some new friends. Wow, I am always in awe of the generosity of people.
Tomorrow, I am going to this thing called Royal Family Kids Camp. It's a camp for foster kids who are wards of the state (meaning that for them to be able to even attend the camp, they needed to get permission from their case worker and a judge, not to mention their foster homes). Someone had mentioned to me about a week ago, that they recommended me to help out with registration before the kids leave for camp, but that would be the extent. Nick came to Sarah and I two days ago and asked us what we had thought of the camp from what we have heard. We shared that we both liked it and it was alongside both of our interests. He said, "Good, cuz you're basically going!" Apparently three of their female counselor's dropped out at the last minute due to things that weren't preventable (losing a job, getting surgery and having their nanny get in an accident, so they couldn't watch their kids). So, A LOT has been happening with that (12 hours of training, along with a huge application, references, background checks, fingerprinting, etc), but I am SO excited.
The purpose of this camp is "to provide safety, fun, positive memories, and a positive role model for abused and neglected children within a context of Christian values; to press into service the skills that I have; to listen; to express genuine empathy and to love unconditionally without requiring anything in return for my investment." It is to treat the kids "royally". It costs over $700 for each camper and staff person, but it is all raised, so it is technically free. I will be gone from Monday through Saturday, and we are not allowed to use cell phones or cameras. Some of the kids have been taken away from their families, and so we can't risk any of them getting a hold of a phone and calling someone to come get them. That would be messy. And it's all for their and our protection. There are a lot of physical boundaries also, like not giving frontal hugs/give piggy backs/letting them sit on our laps, mainly to be sensitive to not trigger anything from previous abuse, and there has to be a lot of accountability. Like, for example, we cannot take anyone to the bathroom by ourselves, because if it's just me and a kid (without another adult), then the kid could say anything they wanted (accusing me), and I would have no one there to back me up. Does that make sense? It's all pretty intense, but I am so looking forward to it. It's a lot of work, and I already know it is so worth it. Please be a prayer warrior for me in this. I feel like this is going to be (and already is), one of those things where I come away more changed and more impacted than the kids themselves.
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