Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! Psalm 66:5
In 2018 camp put out a wishlist; a funny little cross between a “To Do List” and a “Vision Board”. It was kind of an imagination exercise about what camp could be, and also a super practical accounting of everything that needs to be done to run a camp like ours, plus a little manifesto about money tacked on at the end...
On that list was a new playing field (you can read about that here). On the list was a new water treatment plant (dream big!). Also, a tidy-up along the lakefront (that one is a good story - David’s favourite story of 2019; ask, and he will tell you)... And a new playground.
Today’s good news is that we have been given a new playground! New equipment! New memories! Less splinters! What a blessing in times of uncertainty. It is beautiful to see God’s provision. The playground was a thing we all knew we needed, but not if it meant we couldn’t pay our regular bills. Somehow, God made a way for both.
A lot of these wishes/jobs were not new: we’d known about them, and worked on them for years. The playground, for instance, was built in 1998, NINETEEN NINETY EIGHT. That's 20 years ago. Just to have a sense of how long ago 1998 is, consider: David was a University Student in 1998 and I was 2 years old; so we are talking about forever ago.
I grew up at camp. I thought that the playground was the most amazing place on earth. I would race through the wooden structure and climb up the tower. Get stuck in the tower. Cry in the tower. Fall asleep in the tower. Be found in the tower. Cry some more. Refuse to go down. Cry. Race back up the tower (your girl lives for thrills). Rinse and repeat.
Needless to say: I loved that playground.
But over the years, much like dear David, the playground has deteriorated. It’s best days are behind it. A lot of wonderful memories; built for a more simple time; perhaps a little bit unsightly. I am still talking about David, but the playground also.
And so the Playground earned a spot on our wishlist. The wishlist was printed, and passed around, and discussed, and gawked at… until one of the campers at Family Camp casually mentioned that his profession is replacing playgrounds! His full-time gig. “I bet I could get some equipment for Crowsnest Lake…” he said. DONATED PLAYGROUND! ARE YOU KIDDING? NO, NOT KIDDING.
I’ve given up trying to predict how God is going to bless us: we can only predict that the blessing does come. Not everyone can donate a playground, or a playing field. But people continue to give, in obedience to a faithful God. And with every Wilfred Laurier (for now) and Viola Desmond that comes across our desks, we fund more bursaries for the summer staff, and sponsor another summer’s worth of children to come and camp at Crow. (You can donate here.)
We want to specifically thank BDI Play Designs for the gift of this playground; and we want to thank everyone, for contributions large and small that are always coming in, for the success of camp and the growth of God’s Kingdom. For those who volunteer, for those who send money, for those who pray... Now that you know some of the things that camp needs: keep praying for us. It is very encouraging to be the object of prayer.
Look at that! Now it looks a bit like a jumble of brightly coloured metal bars, but that is a playground, folks. All the time God is good: God is good all the time.
