Week 2 of Camp Or L’Dor. Words can’t describe the blessings, challenges, new experiences, complex interactions, hurdles, victories, above all, the presence of HaShem. These two weeks in a way represent a microcosm of life’s joys and sorrows, yet with Yeshua at the center, all is made right, even in this world, our not having to wait for the World to Come to handle life’s challenges. So many plans have gone so smoothly, and when tough questions have arisen, good decisions have been made. All of the campers and counselors arrived safely and on time from the overnight adventure trip, all reporting what a great experience it was. Baruch HaShem!

In the early years of camp, Sid and I, Rabbi Nathan and Raina, and one or two others were the staff. Over the last decade Sid and I have transitioned many of our responsibilities to the younger generation and have made raising up our next generation of leaders a priority. This goal is in addition to the original vision for campers to experience God through nature facilitated by a challenging overnight hiking or water experience. Our young leader staff has grown and matured over the years, not necessarily in number but in organization and infrastructure. So over these more recent summers, Sid and I had taken smaller on site roles.

This year he and I are back in the trenches, and loving it!! We are very busy! Even during the times of consternation and concern our multi-generational leadership team has worked together and it is a beautiful experience.

Having said that, for me personally, my only “down time” may be at this moment. So I do not have great words of encouragement for you this week, but rather, want to share an insight that has been made clear to me by this year’s camp experience.

I am the go-to person for questions. If I don’t have the answer I help find the person who does. It’s been a great experience and I feel blessed to be able to help in this way. As a result, however, I lack those quiet times with Him, my “off” hours typically used to manage a camp matter or help out in some other way. So even though the presence of God is palpable in all the camp activities, I am missing my personal time with Him.

So I have not had my morning jogs, not even the regular ability for my one-on-one meditative time with HaShem first thing in the morning. No complaints! I’m loving all that I am doing. Yet it is at those missing appointed times that I find the clearest ability to hear Him, to be inspired by Him, to feel His Presence vis-à-vis me. And so, I had nothing this week to share with you other than what I am about to say. . .

Unless you are in a situation that makes it almost impossible, I encourage you to deliberately and regularly take the time to set aside those private times with God. It is in those quiet, meditative moments that your Scriptures will come alive, when you will hear Yeshua, if not literally, you will hear Him in your heart. Without intentional action to set aside times for this, it becomes so difficult to hear God’s voice to you over the other sounds and sights around us, even if they, too, are filled with Him.

And so, I’m off to help out, even just taking the time for this writing helping me to feel His teachings, reinvigorated in the knowledge that He’s got this, that I’m just the messenger, the weaver of His Love to those around me. I will follow my own encouragement and seek Him for our one-on-one time again first thing tomorrow morning before Shachrit as I was doing before camp started, to center me before another blessed day begins.

I encourage you to find time for Him, one on one, and be blessed, whenever that is during your day. Seek Him each day for your own personal time together. When you do, your day will not just be blessed but Yeshua will speak into your heart.

He hears you even in your silence. Make time to hear Him.

Shabbat shalom.

Diane