“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his
servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.’”
Luke 1:46-48
It was in the spirit of Mary’s prayer that the volunteers at Camp Noah
this summer served. Camp Noah took place in North Philadelphia at New
Creation Lutheran Church. The camp was designed to serve children who
moved to Philadelphia following Hurricane Maria. Nearly 6,000 families
have come to Pennsylvania since 2017 as a result of the storm. Many of the
children had moved more than four times in the last year, as their parents
sought safe places to live as they made decisions about their families’
future. Other local families were impacted by the storm as they took in
family members, or gathered supplies and funds for loved ones in Puerto
Rico and the US Virgin Islands whose homes were destroyed.
The site coordinator at Camp Noah, Margarita Santiago, wrote this
following camp, “I am looking forward to working with you all again; it
doesn’t matter where because when the Lord has a plan he will make
it work anywhere just like he did last week, and from some of the stories
we’ve heard we were a big impact on some of those kids just like they
were an impact on us. ‘Only fear the LORD, and serve him faithfully with
all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you
(1 Samuel 12:24).’”
Loving God, you give us strength to carry on. Help us bring love to all
of creation. Amen.
Margarita Santiago served as Site Coordinator for Camp Noah, and is the
mother of three Camp Noah campers! Margarita attends Bridge of Hope
Ministries, located in North Philadelphia.
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