God Made Me . God Loves Me . God Cares for Me

My eyes welled up with tears…more than once.  Could this be real?  Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing?  Sometimes when we see love in action, there’s just no way to describe it.  It’s something that is so rich and so real that it can only be felt, not explained.  Even though I was engulfed in a sea of brokenness, I have never experienced such wholeness, such healing, such transparency, such love…all around me! This was camp. Our 13^th Annual Deaf Camp. The theme; God Made Me .  God Loves Me .  God Cares for Me  

When we talked about having camp this year, I asked the staff if they even wanted to attempt this massive endeavor knowing how shorthanded we were, and knowing how each of them already had overwhelming amounts of work.  I got a resounding, “Yes!” As time drew near, we only experienced more letdowns and in the face of disappointment we knew to keep our eyes focused on the Dream Maker (Psalm20&37:4).   The saying that goes, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” is just NOT true.  You see, God always desires to give us more than we can handle, BUT He will never give us more than what Jesus can handle.   Over the past month, it came to be quite entertaining to see how Jesus was going to come through for us time-and-time again when we knew we were in way over our heads!   It was in those moments that He would show up & show-off!  He lavished His love on us in numerous ways that included giving us the best of the best to help with camp.

Everything was orchestrated perfectly…for the first time in our 13 years of having camp, we officially started an hour early!  The Signs of Love staff and volunteers had energy, smiles, and hugs that never ran out.  No one got sick.  The dramas and teachings were presented magnificently.  The food was phenomenal and endless. The crafts were adored and cherished. The games were challenging, new, and FUN.  EVERYONE was fascinated with the breakout sessions.  These precious ones learned like never before.  They paid attention like never before.  They loved one another like never before.  Those children with advanced language helped the newer ones (and the ones that are a little slow) like never before.  Their focus on the sermon was felt like never before.  And ohhhhhhh, the best part………they PRAYED like never before.  They asked for prayer for salvation, healing (of many sorts and very serious situations), forgiveness, forgiving others, wanting to go deeper with Christ, and we prayed for them like never before!  

Usually when camp is over, we feel it. There’s closure. We breathe a deep sigh of relief and gratitude, and it’s finished until the following year.  What we had this year was different.  It was a culmination of the past 12 years…all the lives that have invested into our camps over the years, and all the expertise that has helped us facilitate them over the years…it was all rolled over into this year, and so when camp was over, we breathed a deep sigh of relief and gratitude, and realized it has just begun.  You see, God showed up & showed-off…the it of camp was ignited in many hearts, and what was cultivated over those 3 days (and past 12 years) will never end…it is only going to grow and flourish, and be grafted into eternity.   

I really was seeing what I thought I was seeing: an inexplicable Love. A Love that can be heard by all. 

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For those of you who pray;  we need a miracle in this life...we actually need miracles in several lives of those who went to camp...so please join us in praying for miracles.  Details are too sensitive, just know we need serious change in this young lady's life, and in the lives of the others.  Pray, pray, pray.  I know it makes a difference! All of us at Signs of Love want to say a big thank you for caring...and know that we love you!