November is in full swing and we are a few days away from the beloved holiday of Thanksgiving. Thoughts of football, food, and family circulate our minds in association with this day. Whether it’s the traditional turkey dinner or the pickup game of touch football with all the cousins, everyone has something that they look forward to. And in all of this celebration, we are surrounded with the spirit of the holiday: giving thanks.
To give thanks is to express gratitude for someone or something. During this time of year, an attitude of thankfulness permeates our thoughts and reminds us to seek out reasons to be thankful. We ruminate over our lives and remember the various blessings that have been bestowed upon us throughout the year. In 2020, especially, we need to remember to seek ways to be thankful since this year did not go according to anyone’s plans.
And, we at Camp Longridge have been doing just that!
As we’ve looked over these past eleven months through the lens of gratitude, we are in awe of how the Lord’s hand has been over us. After the first retreat cancelled in March due to the pandemic, we knew that this year would be going awry. Even in the midst of chaos, though, the one thing that we knew with absolute certainty was that God is in control. And He has been evident through the pouring out of blessings in ways we didn’t expect.
The overarching blessings have been protection over our camp from the virus, the continued generosity of the Camp Longridge family, and the ability to continue doing what we love with camp ministry. Whether it was the kind-hearted donations to projects around here or it was the birth of our newest Camp Longridge family member, we are continuously blown away with how the Lord guided us through this year. And for us to finish out this year well, we are still seeking any help that we can receive. If the Lord is leading you, please follow this link to our donation page or give us a call at 803.337.2082.
The above is just a small sampling of the Lord’s gracious and benevolent nature over Camp Longridge in 2020. We are forever grateful for what He’s done, doing, and what He will do with this ministry. And we are looking forward to the next few months to see what He’s got in store!
So, as we celebrate this holiday dedicated to the act of expressing thanks, we at Camp Longridge are remembering Paul’s words to the church in Thessalonica and we encourage you to do the same!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Happy Thanksgiving!