camp connect

last Thursday i embarked on a remarkable journey. destination: Texas. I was a team member/counselor on the staff for the great Nancy Thomas' Camp Connect. Not only was it an honor to meet and be taught by her but i got to work alongside her at this extraordinary camp. I dont even have a clue where to begin to paint a picture of what this camp is about. basically families come with their children who have Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Many of these children suffer other disparities such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADD, ADHD, Turrets Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Autism, and FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). These families came to learn how to parent these children with a strict structure and discipline that Nancy Thomas has developed which works miracles with these kids. The main goal is to create a bond or attachment between the parent and the child which most often has been adopted with many other contributing factors to their RAD such as maltreatment, abuse, neglect, etc.. Over all i made many wonderful friends and it was an exsquisite, extremely difficult, rewarding, heat-warming, heart-wrenching experience that is one of the greatest things i have ever done. I learned so much and it was remarkable to guide these children and parents and to watch the growth and progress that they made. Some of these mothers face such a daunting, trying, overwhelming burden and it was an honor to be with them. It was a very humbling week. I got back on Saturday night and it was so hard to leave these wonderful people. I am full of gratitude for what these relationships, encounters, and experiences gave me.
Because of my training and experience at this camp i am now a trained and qualified respit provider which is so wonderful and i now have a few positions over the summer which was a blessing and answer to prayer. My father in heaven is so mindful of me and all of his children and it is so wonderful to see his hand at work in all of our lives.