Campers Returning

Last year, many camps closed.  I remember an outbreak of COVID-19 at a camp that decided to go ahead as planned, and I remember shaking my head.

This year, I am assuming that most camps will open.  There may be differences, but camps will open.  I suspect that many camps are barely hanging on financially, so that cancelling for another year is not an option.  And many camps feel a mission, so there, too, cancelling is not an option.

Lutheridge is the summer camp nearest and dearest to my heart, and yesterday, campers returned to camp.  Lutheridge offers sleepaway camp for children of all ages and adults, a week at a time.  In the past, each week in the summer also had offerings for adults, but this year, there are only a few times when adult "campers" will be on site, and in conjunction with younger campers, for family camp and for grandparent camp.

This year, there are pod protocols:  campers will move through their days in a group, not mingling with other groups.  In the camp of my youth, we had a cabin cohort, but we had lots of times during the day when we were in larger groups:  meals at the dining hall, at the craft lodge, in the pool, during special trips to Sliding Rock, chapel/worship time.  This summer, groups will be isolated so that if there's an outbreak, it will be easier to control, and fewer people will have been exposed.

Let us pause and say a prayer for all the camps that are starting, that are preparing to start, that have never stopped.  Let us pray for all camps:  church/spiritual, Scouts, sports, all the different groups of campers.  Let us pray for those campers.  Let us pray for those who care for the children who are gathering and let us pray for the ones who serve in a more background support role (the cooks, the nurses, the directors, the ones who raise the funds).  

The words of Julian of Norwich come to me, that promise that all will be well--may it be so.