Let’s give a helping hand and loving heart where needed – Camp Vera

(Jesus) told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field" Matthew 13:31

Over the years, God has used Olivet to plant many mustard seeds into the lives of our immigrant brothers and sisters. The following is a diary entry/blog that Lisa wrote about the Camp Vera daycamp happening this week and next. Read this and rejoice at God’s hand in our efforts to "Love our neighbor".

Notes from day three of CAMP VERA (BY LISA B.) On Wednesday morning, my first task was picking up kids at their various homes and apartments. After picking up the Krah kids we drove the beginning of the big circle, which started with collecting the borrowed van from Meredith Drive Reformed Church, then traveling to the two apartment complexes on Douglas to collect groups of kids, first Liberians, then Burmese. At the first stop, several Liberian boys who I know from volunteering at their school came to the van, begging to come with us. I’m sorry there wasn’t room. When I returned the kids at the end of the day, the boys continued their pleas to join us. At the second stop, a little group of Burmese kids watched mournfully as their playmates climbed into the van. The potential for offering care and hospitality to our newcomer friends is overwhelmingly huge. Three years ago I took our first batch of kids to swimming lessons and I imagined how if every church in the city that has a 15-passenger van took 13 or 14 immigrant kids to swimming lessons, the impact would be wonderful.

Lucy, Prince’s mom, came to watch swimming lessons. Her eyes were bright, her countenance strong. This was a big change from her visits to lessons in previous years. This is because Lucy lost Prince’s sister / her daughter, Vera, to a drowning in 2006. Vera didn’t know how to swim. Which is why several of us decided that we had to help the other immigrant children in our midst learn to swim. Thus the name Camp Vera, which Lucy consented to let us use for the first time this year. When Lucy saw Prince swimming like a little fish, she smiled. When Prince’s swimming instructor was introduced to Lucy, she beamed as he bragged about how well Prince was doing in class. Thank God he was Prince’s instructor last year, too, and so a trust level was built in to the lessons this year.

So many times in life I wonder if what we do really matters. Evidence weighs in both directions on any given day, but never wholeheartedly positive or negative. Watching Lucy watch Prince swim and all the other kids, too, made me realize that yes, what we do does indeed matter. Each of us wakes each morning to a plethora of choices. We can choose to be an instrument of God’s peace –right here in Des Moines.

I’m so very thankful for Cody*, the swimming instructor who chose to work at Birdland Pool in Des Moines, Iowa one more summer and for Mrs. Marge and Mr. Mike who became "grandma" and "grandpa" to Vera, Prince, and Lucy when they arrived in 2004 from a refugee camp in West Africa (I even heard other kids calling them grandma and grandpa!) and for Mrs. Sherrie who lead the singing and made the lunches today and filled in all the little gaps for the last three days and for Ryan who decided to help lead games each afternoon we’re at church when he could be studying instead and for Mrs. Jenny whose heart for children is absolutely huge which is what made her want to help us every day and for Mrs. Marie, who is new to our church and steps up to the plate and volunteers to help as often as she can, and for Brittney and Josie, two teens choosing to be with little kids instead of hanging out at the mall and for Mr. Bob, who loves helping us at the pool and at church and who quietly sat watching us all eat our lunches without saying anything about not having a lunch until I asked. Ernest said on the way home, "I really like Mr. Bob. He’s nice. I feel very bad that he watched us eat when he didn’t have any food so I gave him some of my food."

And I’m thankful for Victoria, who made me a crown. I announced that I was now "Queen Lisa." Our little kingdom is amazing, isn’t it?

Lisa B. *

*Many more people helped with lunches and donations and other aspects of Camp Vera. Those mentioned above were the ones who happened to be helping on day 3. I’m extremely thankful for everyone who had input in this day camp! (You know who you are!)

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