The third week in Ireland we worked with Dublin
Christian Missions at their annual family camp. This was held out in the
countryside of Ireland, so
for the first time I was able to see the rolling hills and the traditional Ireland scenery
pictured on most postcards. I am typically against camping, but when I saw a
rainbow stretching from hill-top to hill-top, I suddenly didn’t mind sleeping
in my tent. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, but even more beauty was found
in the atmosphere created when families came together to spend a week in
community with each other.
Dublin Christian Missions runs an after school program to
provide a safe place for children to play and do their homework. A community
developed and out of that community birthed the idea of family camp to help
build relationships with their parents. It is a place where families, Christian
and non-Christian, can come together for a week to grow closer in relationship
with one another and hopefully grow closer to the Lord. This year about ten parents
chose to take a “holiday” together and spend it camping with their children.
These families come from an area of Ireland plagued by violence and alcohol
addiction. Some of the kids have seen murders with their own eyes. They come
from a hard place. But for a week the parents are allowed to live free from the
fear that their child may be in danger. Family camp was truly a refuge from the
storm that is their lives.
At camp I met Danny. He is a fifteen year old boy who at the
age of six months was diagnosed with Meningitis. The disease infected the right
half of his brain causing Cerebral Palsy type characteristics down the left
side of his body. The doctors said he would never be able to talk, but they
were wrong. He shouted for joy as soon as he arrived at camp and introduced
himself shortly after. Danny became my joy during family camp. Whether we were
singing “Pharaoh Pharaoh” together or sharing a meal, I always knew I would
find joy in Danny. Because of the way he was made, he could only express emotions
in extremes. So when he was happy, he would either jump up and down or shout in
delight at the top of his lungs. Danny’s overflow of joy was what I lived off
of all week.
Family camp was truly a haven. Danny’s life at home in his
community is quite rough. Because of his disability and the prejudice that is
engrained in Ireland’s
culture, Danny is not accepted by other kids. He is not given opportunities
that other children his age have. He is not invited to typical social events.
He is excluded from most games. He is even physically and verbally abused by
others because of his differences. But at family camp, the kids who typically
throw rocks at Danny were choosing to accept him. The atmosphere provided at
family camp changed relationships. True community was formed, a community that
fostered an environment for people to encounter Jesus.
The families went back home at the end of the week. My prayer
as they left was that the community they experienced that week would follow
them home. That they would not go back to life as it existed before camp. The
following Sunday we saw four families from camp at church that aren’t typically
there. Some were there for the first time. They also started an adult bible
study together during the week. They are seeking God together in community
outside of family camp. That is fruit. I believe everyone was created to live
in community. I believe God exists in community. These families tasted true
community for the first time and I don’t believe they will be able to return to
life as it was.
