by Shelly Burke, Editor, Nebraska Family Times
Sue said her favorite part is when the returning campers
return to His Kids Camp and “having them
come running to me from across the lodge with their arms open for a big hug.”
Camper Nicholas Cech had been to a fall retreat (see
dates for His Kids weekend Retreats and His Kids Camp for this fall and 2013 on
the back page of this issue of the Nebraska
Family Times) and knew he wanted to come to a regular camp. He said that
his favorite part of camp was chapel—“I
truly felt the Holy Spirit!” he exclaimed. As I was saying good-bye to
Nicholas he said, “I don’t want to leave.
But I’ll be back!” And from the looks on the faces of the campers, buddies,
and volunteers—he’s not the only one who will be back.
Gosh time has flown by! I don't know where the summer went! Between taking Morgan to college in Colorado and some family issues, I was surprised to turn the calendar over today and realize that it's October! Last time I posted here was just after I'd volunteered as Camp Nurse at Camp Luther near Schuyler, NE. The days at His Kids Camp, for special needs teens and adults, truly changed my life. I'm going to begin "catching up" here by posting about His Kids Camp.
These articles were originally printed in the Nebraska Family Times newspaper, of which I'm the editor and publisher. The mission of the Nebraska Family Times is "to inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk." The Nebraska Family Times is a pro-life, pro-family publication, and we share national, state, and local news and events from a Christian point of view. For more information check out our blog at Nebraska Family Times and "like" us on Facebook. For a FREE sample issue of the paper, e-mail your request to shelly@shellyburke.net--be sure to include your mailing address--or call (402) 750-3496.
Now, I hope you will enjoy reading about His Kids Camp!
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His Kids Camp Part
By Shelly Burke, RN
I’m having a hard time finding the words to describe my
experience at His Kids Camp in June. I volunteered as the Camp Nurse
His Kids Camp is a camp for special needs children and
adults. The group that I was there for was made up mostly of teens and young
adults with a variety of diagnosis, including Down Syndrome, autism, and so on.
Each camper was paired with at least one “buddy,” who assisted that camper as
needed with activities, meals, getting dressed, and so on.
I arrived before the campers did so I could get the
medication area organized, and I was more than a little nervous about meeting
the campers. I hadn’t been to camp for many years (and if I remember right I
got so homesick my parents had to come and get me after just a day) and had
never worked with special needs kids or adults. Would they take their
medications for me? Would I remember their names? Would I be asked to handle
difficult behaviors? Would they like me (do we ever stop asking that question)?
These thoughts were swirling around in my mind as the first
campers and their parents and caregivers came in. Most of my nervousness went
away and I quickly got into “nurse” mode when the parents brought their child’s
medications to me. They gave hints for getting their child to take medications
and described in detail treatments and other cares needed. When two campers
came in with CPAP machines (the machine forces air through a mask into the
mouth and nose of people who suffer from sleep apnea) I wasn’t sure if the
buddies would know how to use them, but a buddy quickly came and reassured the
father that we’d make sure the machines were used correctly.
When a mom handed me her daughter’s g-tube and liquid
medications and told me about her g-button (a device used to give nutrition and
medications directly into the stomach) I assured her I’d worked with a g-button
many times and it would be no problem to take care of her daughter’s.
Giving medications at supper time was hectic; I hadn’t
figured out a routine yet and didn’t know any of the campers. However, they all
came up with their buddies, who told me their names, and everyone took their
medications without complaint. I began to breathe a little bit easier.
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| Enjoying snack time. |
After supper I went to work double checking the medications
and figuring out a routine for giving them. I looked up several unfamiliar
medications on the computer and got everything in order. The little girl with
the g-button came in for her medications, and while she didn’t speak, her smile
spoke volumes. When she circled her fist in front of her chest and then pointed
at me, I wasn’t sure what she meant. Her buddies were eager to tell me that it
meant “I like you!” and I quickly
signed the same back to her. After I was done she gave me the tightest hug I
think I’d ever received! At that point I knew
the rest of camp was going to be great!
The campers joined in the big
hall before bedtime and sang several songs. When I heard the director ask
everyone to join hands for the Lord’s Prayer, I peeked out the window of the
med room so I could say it with them. All had joined hands…except for a camper
and his buddy across the room from me. They seemed to be talking to each other
and I was wondering if the camper was having trouble…and then I realized, with
tears in my eyes, that the camper was deaf and he and his buddy were signing
The Lord’s Prayer to each other.
During His Kids Camp I was also able to spend some time with
Hank and Sue Rausch. Hank is the Executive Director of Camp Luther Camp Luther
Both Hank and Sue shared their thoughts about His Kids Camp
with me. Hank sees God’s hand at work every year when the campers check in. If
they’ve been to His Kids Camp before, Hank says one of the first things they
ask is, “Is my buddy {from last year}
here?” Hank continues, “If the answer is “yes,” they jump for joy.
If their buddy is not there, they are sad at first but then ask excitedly who
their new buddy will be. To know that they remember their buddies name and the
great times they had the previous year shows how God uses the buddies to touch
the lives of the campers.”
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| Dance moves |
I also talked with some of the buddies for His Kids Camp.
All of the returning buddies and volunteers said they’d been nervous as new
campers, but quickly overcame the nervousness. LeAnn Miller has been a buddy
and volunteer for three years. She remembers, “The first year I was very nervous about being a buddy to someone with
special needs. But I quickly realized that it’s not a one-person job—all the
buddies and volunteers help each other. The most rewarding part is seeing the
smiles on the campers’ faces when they go home—knowing that Jesus loves them
and others do too.”
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Look for Part 2 of His Kids Camp tomorrow!
