הַכָּרַת הַטּוֹב, Hakarat Hatov, “recognizing the good”
This month the Elkanah Express is written by our summer intern Emily. She shares about learning to find the good in all situations.
There is so much darkness that we as a staff could focus on constantly. As far as camp goes, I could tell you about the mountains we still have ahead of us to climb. I could tell you about how even on a good day there are about a hundred other things to be done. That it feels like there’s a leak in the dam that is camp, no one can remember where the water is escaping, and all we have to lessen the load with is teaspoons when gallons of problems are pouring in. I could go on about the days when Camp Elkanah isn’t as beautiful and carefree as I thought it would be. Honestly, that’s the easiest thing I could write to you about; but, I’m not going to.
Before I go any further, I suppose you probably want to know who I am. For those of you who don’t know me (which is probably everyone), I am the summer intern at camp this year. My first experience with Camp Elkanah was when I was a middle school camper back in 2014, and I absolutely loved it. I was saved on the bench over by the craft cabin after a long discussion with my camp counselor, Cricket. Though it wasn’t until last winter that God grabbed me by the hand and pulled me along with Him, and I finally decided to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. I suddenly found myself working at summer camp on the Program Team, which consisted of two people including myself. We were small, yet mighty in everything we did.
I chose to get baptized at the end of summer camp because I felt the Lord was telling me I was ready to. One of the missionaries, Tim Bohrer, and Joe himself dunked me, and I couldn’t have chosen a better community than the one God prepared me for here at Camp Elkanah. I won’t explain to you what my life was like before summer camp; all I can say is that the Lord has delivered me, the Lord has given me eternal hope, and I am so very thankful. I left everything I knew to follow where Jesus was and is leading me. Since then, one thing led to another, and now I’m very happily the summer intern. I’m so grateful and blessed to have this opportunity in my life, living at camp and seeing how Christ touches the hearts of campers and staff alike. The community I was placed in and work with is full of wonderful people like Kaitlin, Josh, Joe, Melody, and Chelsea.
Now, let’s get back on track. I’d like to talk to you about something that keeps me going. The Hebrew word for it is הַכָּרַת הַטּוֹב, or Hakarat Hatov, which translated literally means “recognizing the good”. It’s basically a thought pattern that is all about finding what to be grateful for in the middle of the storm and understanding how to have gratitude in the face of hardship. If we can’t do that, how do we keep going, how are we able to thank God for all of what He has blessed us with? This September has been dizzying, but I’d like to show you what we as a staff are thankful for.
Labor Day weekend was when the Stanfield Baptist Church came up for their annual family camp. There were definitely bumps in the road, but through it all the Lord showed us what to bring our attention to. Families were able to come together and relax away from the world, and some people definitely needed that! The church had a wonderful service in the woods and was the first rental group that was able to fully use the chapel all summer. Kaitlin, Josh, and I were happy to host one of our BMCBA church families, and we were able to help carry on the decades-long Stanfield Baptist family camp tradition.
Outdoor school was going to be hosted the last two weeks of September and the first half of October, and Kaitlin had been preparing for it since the end of summer camp. As she was just getting staff lined up and contracts ready for the schools, we received a short phone call, and the calendar was cleared up in an instant. Outdoor school has been canceled and pushed into the spring, as our schools were unable to make it work. Yet, there is still goodness to be found! Josh has been so excited to get projects done around camp, and through outdoor school being canceled, God has provided the much needed time to do so.
We can hopefully get started on building the new ADA-accessible bathrooms on either end of camp. Josh was able to focus on figuring out the tractor situation at camp. We can also focus on finishing the mini-golf course so that it can be enjoyed again. The new office project is now a plan instead of a string of ideas. With the fall work weekend coming up, Josh is ready to knock a bunch of smaller projects off the board. We have to remember that even though we were preparing for a different outcome, God had instead prepared a different path for us. Kaitlin, Josh, Joe, and I are all grateful for the time the Lord has blessed us with!
The BMCBA Women’s Camp was able to be pulled off. It rained, the worship team had to cancel, and some campers had to volunteer because we were understaffed. I definitely had to remember “Hakarat Hatov'' for the weekend, and in hindsight, it’s easier to do so. The rain always made way for glorious sunshine after each storm, us staff and some of the campers pulled together to create a wonderful worship session, and everyone who attended found fellowship with other women seeking Christ. We were also able to hear old camp stories and history from Jo Murphy and Sharon Carpenter, which was interesting. The Saturday night skits were hilarious as well! I’d say that the BMCBA Women’s Camp was a success overall, and we were all reminded of the glorious gospel message.
When all you can see is the faults and the downsides, ask Jesus to show you what He sees. A good verse to think of is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Push past the darkness and find what to have gratitude for. Recognize God’s overwhelming goodness in every situation. Thank Him for what He has given you and how He takes care of you. I know the Lord provides for us at Camp Elkanah, and when I start turning over stones on the bad days, it is evident what He has done and continues to do for us at camp. Continue to give gratitude to God, even a simple “thank you” throughout the day works. So, in short: thank you, Lord!
Over and out,
Emily “Pilot” Walker
