Near the end of May, I was talking to a mother whose daughter is coming to Ontario Pioneer Camp later this summer. Her daughter has special needs and we were just talking through what supporting her at camp looked like.

As Special Needs Director, I’ve known this mom for a few years now so after we went over the business items we got to chatting. I asked her how she was, she gave me an update about her and her family, and then turned the question towards me. I provided some brief life updates but mainly shared how things were starting to get hectic in my work life as the summer drew closer.

“It must really feel like the calm before the storm,” she commented. I thought about it for a second and then replied “It actually feels like the storm before the storm.” We both chuckled and moved on in conversation but the truth of that statement stuck with me.

Thinking of a summer at camp as a storm isn’t the craziest analogy; it captures the elements of camp that are unpredictable, chaotic, and powerful. Camp really is a happening place. If you sit still and watch (not even that closely!), you’ll see thousands of storylines unfold in a summer. Usually all that chaos and activity is exciting.

In all of the action, people’s lives are changed in beautiful and often indelible ways. In the flurry, people are learning about who they are and about the remarkable God who made them. If it’s a storm, it’s one that’s filled with many, many moments of joy. After a season of cancellations and uncertainty, I’m thrilled that we’re on the verge of another storm of summer camp.

The storm before that beautiful storm is quite different though. It’s chaotic and unpredictable but instead of taking place underneath a cedar tree or by a lake with friends, it takes place at my desk. It comes in the form of emails, phone calls after phone calls, and Zoom meetings trying to figure out all the details about how camp will run this summer. It’s a storm not marked by joy (for me anyways) but often by anxiety.

We have campers but not enough leaders, kitchens but not enough cooks, and questions that don’t always have answers. Things are busy and difficult right now. It’s not exactly clear to us how everything will come together. A lot of days, it really does feel like a storm.

I’ll be honest, when I think about all that needs to be done in such a short stretch of time, I just want to sit on my couch and forget about it all. But when things get overwhelming I have to remember two truths. Firstly, I know the one who is able to calm the storms of life. When I am overwhelmed and afraid, Jesus is by my side, and will not allow me to be crushed. Secondly, I must remember why we do this in the first place. It might be hard in the moment, but running summer camp is worth it. People meet God at camp. People meet lifelong friends at camp. People start to understand who they are at camp.

It’s hard to hold all these feelings at once but that’s what preparing to run camp is. It’s filled with both hope and worry. It’s a wild ride brimming with needs and unanswered questions, but it’s a ride that our God holds in His hands.