We’ve been out of town the last couple of weeks enjoying what the Pacific Northwest & the Idaho mountains have to offer. My wife, daughter, niece and I started out the week visiting my mom in Astoria enjoying her company, viewing the beautiful architecture that graces the hills on which the town is built and then walking along the Columbia River, watching as the ships sail in to port and then back out to sea. Our walk that day ended with some shopping at the Sunday market.
After spending 2 days in Astoria we drove to Cannon Beach, where we met up with good friends Angela, Graeme, & Carolyn, all from Australia and Sue from Seattle. We had a great time hiking along some of the trials that wound their way through some of the forest Wm. Clark walked through to trade for whale meat and blubber at Ecola Creek. We trekked the beach, searching for those elusive puffins that nest on Haystack Rock (one flew right over us) and exploring
Ft. Clatsop, Lewis & Clarks home during the winter of 1805-1806. We filled in with plenty of eating and shopping when we weren’t exploring.
After the long drive back to Idaho, we spent Saturday doing laundry and re-packing our suitcases. On Sunday we were off to the mountains to volunteer at Royal Family Kids’ Camp (RFKC) as counselors and staff members. This camp provides positive experiences for children at risk. This was the first time at camp for my wife and daughter, while the rest of the Cannon Beach crew were seasoned camp veterans. The campers are foster children & have experience atrocities that thankfully many of us cannot understand and would like to believe do not exist in our society. The care takers of these children did not see the children's value, the value that Jesus saw in each and every child. Jesus was preaching and teaching and his disciples thought they were looking out for his best interests, by trying to dissuade a group of parents from bringing their children to Christ for a blessing. However when Christ learned of this he said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Matthew 19:13-15
RFKC provides an environment for these children to learn that they are of value. I spoke to one of the foster mothers upon our return to town and she told me, “You don’t know what one week at camp does for these children.” Click here if you would like to learn more about the local RFKC camp, or you can click here to read the about the national RFKC organization.
