Covid-19 created anxiety and uncertainty for a lot of us. It definitely did in our family. We were very outgoing and active before Covid but once the pandemic started, anxiety spread from social isolation, school closures, stress of online learning, important family events being cancelled, church services being virtual, etc. This pandemic created something I had never seen in my children: they became full of anxiety, they were irritable, they became very clingy, and they became uncertain of how to act or approach other individuals. I mean it was understandable because even adults were having a hard time dealing with it.
Not knowing what to expect we took the plunge and signed up for a Camp Crossroads Family Camp for the first time in 2021. My family needed something we could look forward to and get excited about. My husband and I needed some relaxation and reflection time, as we were feeling burnt out from having the children home 24/7 while working. My children needed something to feel more like the good old days…something more “normal”.
Let me tell you the healing power of a safe, but extremely fun, time in God’s beautiful nature is exactly what our family needed and what we got! My family definitely experienced advantages and benefits from attending Family Camp at Camp Crossroads. I wasn’t sure if we were going to feel uncomfortable with social distancing and the protocols being put in place at camp but to our surprise it felt pretty normal.
Camp crossroads followed all the public health guidelines. We wore masks in the buildings, things were sanitized, we ate out in a tent. The first day I saw my three children back to pretty much their old selves. It was such a relief! They were having fun, smiling, singing, playing sports, making friends. It was almost as if life was the way it was before COVID-19. The camp staff were amazing and definitely helped with making such a memorable experience! The staff were pumped and ensured all the children felt like they were included and involved. You could sense a great energy and passion from the staff and that really helped with my oldest daughter moving out of some insecurities she had built up during the lockdown. Getting outdoors, into nature, moving our bodies, and being with other Christians was exactly what we needed to jump start our summer!
Our camp experience became an opportunity to draw closer to each other while being able to reflect on the past year in a fun and safe place, all while discovering what our hopes were for the future. When we got into our car to drive home we knew we had made the right decision to go to camp because my children were asking when we were coming back and we hadn’t even driven off the yard yet.
