Camp Barnabas

The other day a friend at church was telling me about this camp that I needed to look into, she thought it would be perfect for Ashley. Of course this took me by surprise because I just always assumed camp was not an option for a child as disabled as Ashley, unless I wanted to spend thousands to send her to camp for children who use speech devices. I have learned to never dismiss any information, so the next day I looked up the camp. It is called Camp">http://www.campbarnabas.org/">Camp Barnabas
and it is a Christian camp for children with special needs. Still thinking there had to be some catch I called the camp office and spoke to a very nice man who assured me that they can handle all special needs. They knew all about no sleep, self-injury, and speech devices, etc. And they also have a program for sibling. He encouraged me to register my kids, but said this year might be tough because they have most kids registered by April 1st. Evidently they fill up very fast. After a series of calls and emails, we got the official word yesterday; the kids were accepted to camp this summer. I can see God’s hand in all of it. He prompted my friend to tell me, the camp had room for all three of my kids at the last minute, at a time when they didn’t have other plans, and we received scholarships to cover some of the cost. Up until a month ago my only real plan for ever having a break was for my husband and I to take turns leaving town, and to wait for our nine year old to become an adult and leave her in charge. I am so excited and grateful to discover something like this exists. I would encourage anyone with special needs children to check into it. It is expensive for our budget, but considering it is a week of one on one care, I believe it is very reasonable. I have been very impressed with the camp, the staff I have worked with and their policies. I will definitely be writing about it more in the future, as we go through the experience.Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
Originally posted April 2011