For many of you who have been on my Shabbat encouragement list for years, you know that this is the time that Sid and I are at Camp Or L’Dor, the Messianic Jewish teen camp founded by Sid and Rabbi Nathan seventeen summers ago. Next year will be our Chai year! Can’t wait!

Typically I share with you the amazing camp experiences we have with our teens and counselors who travel to camp, this year in the Poconos, from across the U.S. and sometimes farther. In years past we have been blessed to have youth leaders from Israel and some of our teens have made Aliyah after being enriched in their faith through camp and their other life experiences.

I was a little late to camp this year and it’s only the first couple days since our campers have arrived. I actually thought I might skip this week’s writing. I should have known – HaShem had it all planned out . . .

Yesterday at noon was my law firm’s monthly meeting by Zoom. The founder of our firm is Jewish as are the vast majority of the lawyers. Given the location of the camp in the mountains, cell service is spotty and WiFi is even worse, so I wanted to make sure I’d be at a place on the grounds where I could join the Zoom meeting promptly at noon.

In order to find the place of best cell phone reception before the meeting began I started to walk and phoned in ten minutes early. To my surprise, our firm’s founder, and extremely good friend now of more than 20 years, was already on the line!! This never happens since she is incredibly busy. Yet there she was so she and I had a chance to chat.

Rather than my office garb I was wearing my Or L’Dor t-shirt which prompted our discussion about this amazing camp for Messianic Jewish teens. I can only say the conversation was anointed. As I shared, and she kvelled, more and more of our firm’s more than 50 lawyers were joining the call and listening too. She was so impressed with our efforts at camp and in overwhelmingly glowing words, said so.

It became a conversation between her and me about Messianic Judaism, her words about how times have changed since she was a girl and Jews couldn’t say the word “Jesus”, how proud she was of me for being involved in this endeavor, how Jews need to stick together. She brought up the two young Israeli embassy staffers who were recently murdered in D.C. and she noted they were Messianic Jewish. The conversation went on for 15 minutes and was so rich . . .

How God had arranged this “podcast” for all of the firm’s Jewish lawyers to hear, including guest speakers invited as well, and to hear her affirmation of Messianic Judaism was so amazing. That one bar of cell service was enough to support the Zoom call was also no small miracle!

This may not be per se a camper story but surely is an amazing camp experience that is encouraging to all!!

As I thought about this scenario further I was so at peace, on so many levels.

The feelings of reconciliation had started at the UMJC conference over the weekend when I chatted with congregation leaders from other synagogues who, like Rabbi Rich, had been in the Messianic Jewish movement since the early ‘70s. It was so soothing to the soul to hear of the healing of the schisms among the various groups – MJAA, Jews for Jesus, Chosen People Ministries, UMJC, and others – as we as a movement have matured and become more comfortable in our Messianic Jewish skin, for we all are working toward the same goals in our unique ways. How wonderful to do so and with shalom bayit, peace in the home.

At dinner last night a group of children who are campers at our host camp shared a song about loving Jesus. It was beautiful. It was their way of showing their love of God. So too, in previous years, we have loved the songs of the Jewish campers from those host camps showing their love of God. What beautiful places for us to be welcome, bridgebuilders, and secure in our unique place as Messianic Jews to be who we are created to be, to do what we are to do, in His divinely orchestrated plan.

I don’t know what the next 10 days will bring, but I do know they will be filled with surprise, wonder, and awe as we look to Him to guide our path.

Shabbat shalom.

Diane

P.S. After the Zoom call I sent this Camp Or L’Dor video of last year’s highlights to my friend at the firm. In case you haven’t seen it, please enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqwv5rQth3I