Tuesday, December 18, 2018

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:1-3

A wide-swath of people watched homes and livelihoods stripped away as the beautiful island of Puerto Rico was among those transformed with haunting death and devastation. With horrifying images etched in hearts and minds, and without water, electricity or a livelihood, some families made the painful decision to leave their island home. Approximately 400 of these families came to Eastern Pennsylvania. Living with relatives and friends, or in transitional housing identified by LDR and their partners, the winds carried change including school in a different language, stresses of finding work and friends, and trying to rebuild hundreds of miles away.

I’m stumped! How do I get volunteers to run a dynamic day camp called Camp Noah to help these families? A home town pastor remembers a promise from a 2017 Camp Noah volunteer... and a tiny shoot begins to grow from my stump.

With the talented Liberty Lutheran staff helping with networking, funding, and publicity, the shoot grew into a strong branch! The Spirit rested on all who heard the call for help to provide the first bilingual Camp Noah to children displaced from Hurricane Maria. In all, 108 different individuals, organizations and ministries donated time, food, money, and talent for 40 children so that they could build resiliency and restore hope! Hospitality came from retirement communities like Paul’s Run and Artman, from UCC and ELCA congregations in Dallas, PA and Orwigsburg, Fleetwood and our host Reading Lutheran Parishes in Reading, PA, a total area slightly bigger than the entire island of Puerto Rico!

Awesome God help us prepare to be stumped; bring a strong branch of lively delight from the twisted stump of devastation this Advent.

The Rev. Rebecca Knox is Chaplain, Tower Health in Reading, PA. She served on the leadership team for Camp Noah held in Reading this past summer. Camp Noah is a day camp for children who have experienced disaster or trauma.

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