There are two seemingly simple words that, when placed together, prove to be absolute magic to many children’s ears. They are:
Summer Vacation
For most, when this phrase is uttered, it immediately brings to mind lazy days spent splashing around at the pool, family vacations to exciting destinations, sleeping in late or heading to camp to reunite with far away friends.
But for some, these words conjure up a very different picture. It may serve as a reminder of a time of loneliness because their caregiver has to be away for work. It may be a reminder of lingering hunger pains due to lack of financial resources to provide food throughout the day. For many kids, summer camps and vacation destinations are nothing more than a lofty dream.
For 20 children, however, this was the year the phrase “summer vacation” took on a new and positive connotation. Hands of Hope partnered with Safe Families of Central Indiana in their mission to send these kids to an amazing non-profit Christian summer camp called SpringHill and make their dream a reality.
As with any child attending summer camp, the children chosen by Safe Families were in need of supplies and that’s where Hands of Hope came in. They provided individual camp packs containing over twenty items ranging from pillows, sleeping bags and flashlights, to ponchos, sunscreen and each child’s own personal Bible.
Upon their arrival at SpringHill, the kids were thrilled, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it wasn’t the packs or even necessarily going to camp that caused their excitement- although, I’m sure both helped tremendously. God was actively pouring His hope and love onto these children through the opportunity provided by Safe Families and Hands of Hope. And to me, that in and of itself is a pretty thrilling experience.