Recently I was given the opportunity to preview the upcoming movie CAMP. I remembered seeing the clips for it a few months back. Little did I know this movie would hit so close to home in 2013 as we are thick in the middle of foster care training.
If I had to sum up this movie in one sentence it would be this:
REAL HEARTS having experienced REAL PAIN needing REAL HOPE.
CAMP is an one week outreach to children living in the foster care system. The goal is to just embrace these kids and help them to have a good week - experience a small reprieve and normalcy. Each camper is paired with a camp counselor. None of the matches are by mistake.
In the first moments of the movie you realize this is no feel-good movie. The writers have given voice to some amazing kids wading through unimaginable realities. They come from a broad range of homes where parents were imprisoned, enslaved to addictions, and children neglected. But they're REAL KIDS. They are in need of someone to CARE.
You will be exposed to tiny glimpses into the hard realities that many kids in foster care face. You NEED to see. This is REALITY for thousands of kids growing up in our communities. I was reminded that these kids are worth all the obstacles it takes to care for them. It made me feel even stronger in our conviction to SAY YES and step up to foster.
By about half way through the movie I wanted to give Ken, one of the counselors, a good 'ole shake up. He comes across as an absolute jerk. About the time I could hardly take any more of his cellphone obsession and lack of compassion for his camper, Eli .... I realized that in reality my heart was being just as hard. There were reasons he responded the way he did. His demeanor was just a thick callous attempting to cover his own deep pain. Eventually this special duo learned more about each others lives and both were forever changed. Ken truly learned what it meant to CARE. Eli got to experience what it's like to be cared for.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was hearing testimonies of two of the counselors and why they were there ... because a long time ago someone stepped up to CARE for them.
Find out where CAMP is coming! If it's in your area - GO SEE IT. You'll be changed for the good and inspired to step out of your comfort zone and CARE.
Remember - this isn't just a movie. The stories represented are REAL.
It's about REAL HEARTS having experienced REAL PAIN needing REAL HOPE.
We can be part of sharing that REAL HOPE. It's just a question if we'll CARE enough to do so.
