June was a rich month of joy, which we shared with our summer campers, student leaders, and community. At the end of the month we had a “joy distribution day” of help and hope in our neighborhood. Each camper eagerly carried a personally decorated, joy-themed brown bag to give away. Inside each camper’s bag we placed a grocery gift card and an original painting from camp, along with a scripture about joy. Of course we wanted to include some candy treats, so we added Laffy Taffies, Almond Joys, and Jolly Ranchers!
When we stopped at each neighbor’s home with a gift bag, the first thing our 27 campers did was to joyfully lift their voices to sing. It was beautiful! “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, by the Spirit’s pow’r.” We sang it in 4-part round, over and over (and over!) again…because we distributed over 40 joy bags to our neighbors! One lady texted me afterwards, “I love this!! It is so sweet, I’m literally in tears. Thank you. It is very special to me!” Although we were decidedly hot and sweaty as we made the rounds, our joy was multiplied every time we shared….
Later, the campers shared highlights from camp as they enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. They spoke of meeting neighbors, making new friends, singing songs, swimming at the YMCA, memorizing scriptures, playing soccer, drumming, painting, throwing water balloons, and sharing help, hope, and JOY with our community.
Camp offered our children an invaluable opportunity to experience the joy of giving. Jesus is the only joy that no one and nothing can take from us. When we choose to follow Jesus, we choose joy. Choose Jesus! Choose joy. And share liberally!
