Most of us have prized possessions and friendships from our childhood that we cherish well into our adult years.  Ask my older brother and sister and they’ll quickly share embarrassing stories about me clinging to three things - a stuffed polar bear (“Snowy”), flat blanket (not to be confused with Flat Stanley), and Grover.  Grover was identical to the Grover on Sesame Street, that is if Grover on Sesame Street was continually having to sew on his arms or legs, had to deal with fading plastic eyes, and made a habit of “showering” in the washing machine.  I outgrew those items (mostly) in elementary school and I bonded with my childhood best friends, John and Eric.  We spent our summers playing baseball in the front yard, saving our change to buy burritos at Taco Bell, and working out bartering agreements with our household supplies of chocolate milk.  

Think about those relationships and possessions that helped shape your childhood.  Maybe you had a favorite book, dress, doll, or bicycle.  Maybe you had a friend, neighbor, or family member that people mistook as your twin because you were inseparable.  Think about how those memories form the basis of foundation for you as an adult.

Now, imagine getting a knock on your door one day from Child Protection Services.  Without even a moment to pack, you are taken from your home - away from your possessions, away from your friends, away from your family, your school, your neighborhood - everything that is familiar and comfortable to you. You’ve literally left with just the clothes on your back. It’s for your own safety - you wouldn’t be removed if it weren’t for allegations of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or neglect.  But from your 8 year old perspective, the weight of what is happening does not register and all you feel is abandoned and alone.  

Sadly, this scenario plays out in cities, counties, and states all across our country.  In Orange County, CA alone over 30,000 cases of child abuse are reported each year.  There are over 4,000 children in Orange County’s foster care system, and 250-300 teens “emancipate” (age-out) of the system each year at age 18.  While that may seem like a fresh start for them, between 25 and 50% of those youth become homeless.  Within 12 - 18 months of leaving the system, 27% of the males and 10% of the females are incarcerated.  Without a foundation of stability in their young lives, these teens enter our society with little education, minimal job skills, and no healthy support networks to being to navigate these challenges.

Now, I’ve been blessed to grow up in a stable home with loving family and friends continually surrounded me.  I believe it was because of this stability and love that I was able to easily accept Christ into my life in high school - the foundation of His love had been laid long before I, or my family, truly knew Him.  I can’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up with abusive parents, inconsistent living situations, no personal possessions, and very little normal childhood memories.  

In fact, it wasn’t until some good friends of mine encouraged me to volunteer through my church with Royal Family Kids Camp that I began to hear and understand the heartache of these forgotten kids.  Royal Family Kids Camp is a week long camp program for foster kids between the ages of 7 and 11.  With a guiding purpose to treat these special kids as royalty, we spend the week showing them God’s love simply by loving them and letting them be kids.  Whether it’s fishing for crawfish, having a tea party, or playing a real-life version of Rock Band (complete with real instruments!), the camp becomes an anchor of hope and positive memories for the kids who attend.  

When I arrived at camp last year, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I was signed up to be a counselor, and ended up with one special camper, a shy 11-year old boy.  I didn’t know his story - and I didn’t need to know his story.  It was clear that whatever pain he had experienced he wasn’t willing to share, even when he expressed that pain by rebelling against my presence.  I was best known at camp for being the guy running after my camper, who made it a game of running away from me.  But every time he would take off running, he would look back to see if I had given up on him.  Most likely because so many other people in his life had given up on him.  I refused to become one of those people. By the end of the week, my camper warmed up to me.  Our last night of camp, when I asked him what his favorite part of camp was, he didn’t mention the archery, or the rock band, or the fishing.  Instead, he looked me in the eyes, took a deep breath and said, “The girls.”  Then, after a brief pause and with a small, quite voice he said, “and you.”  After a week of exhaustion, those two words provided all the motivation I needed to continue to reach out to my camper and other kids in his situation.  

It’s been a year and I’m gearing up for another year at Royal Family Kids Camp.  My camper won’t be back - he’s aged out - but I haven’t stopped chasing him.  He doesn’t know it, but I am working on becoming his mentor. And when I return to camp, there will be more kids in similar situations, and opportunities to show them God’s love for them through the community around him.

Royal Family Kids Camps are held by a variety of churches around the country and internationally.  If you’re interested in volunteering, visit www.rkfc.org for a camp near you.  And if you’re in the Southern California area, and are free from July 19 - 25, we certainly can use a few more volunteers.  Visit our specific camp website at http://www.standrewsnewport.rfkc.org.