This is how we arrived at Hope Heals Camp -- my daughter surveying the welcome party with a satisfied smile -- we were BACK! Getting to go as campers two years in a row is a rare blessing. (I heard camp had a waitlist of 1,000 people!)
After I returned home and began processing it, this voxology podcast reminded me how truly upside-down Hope Heals Camp is. Hundreds of volunteers pay a lot of money for the privilege of being with families like mine. Instead of fancy vacations, these folks brave the heat and humidity of Alabama, along with mini-scorpions(!) and bunkbeds, to come to a place where "GoodHard" is lived out. "Put that in your pipe and smoke it," as my friend Marilyn likes to say.
In nearly all realms of life, families experiencing disability have to advocate, ask, and often plead for support and services. In many ways, our families are at the bottom of the social strata. At camp, we get to be pampered and "loved on," welcomed and applauded; our needs and desires are anticipated and no longer barriers to fully experiencing and enjoying life. I'm floored that so many people pay good money to make that happen!
The kingdom of God has been referred to as the upside-down kingdom and Hope Heals Camp is a glimpse into why. The social strata is upended. The entrepreneur, actor, fraternity brother, and retired athlete show up and make it all about the folks who usually get overlooked. These folks remove the barriers to disability. This takes the form of holding the mic for a man with cerebral palsy to sing in the talent show, getting OJ for a girl so her morning meds go down easier, and providing a safe space for a family as their child melts down. Camp is so good and life is still hard. The good doesn't erase the hard. Instead, camp strengthens our hope that this upside down kingdom is the ultimate reality we'll live in everyday one day.
photo credit @beccarcruz